Economy
The Restaurant Industry's Secret Shame: An Utter Lack of Diversity in the Best-Paying Jobs
Raising the minimum wage and changing workplace culture could help.
With almost 11 million employees, the restaurant industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the United States, but it is also one of the lowest paying—restaurant workers in general are three times as poor as the rest of the U.S. workforce. Within the industry, workers of color are even worse off. They are twice as likely to live in poverty than their white counterparts.
This is because people of color are far more likely to be relegated to the lowest-wage and back-end jobs in casual restaurants, instead of fine-dining opportunities that pay better, according to a recent report from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.