Report: California's $20 Fast Food Minimum Wage Led to 18,000 Fewer Jobs

The Employment Policies Institute estimated that “non-tipped restaurant workers [lost] 250 hours of work annually,” translating into up to $4,000 in lost income. That drop equates to seven weeks of work each year per employee. - Joel B. Pollak

• The California Globe reported that “thousands of fast food jobs were shed by companies in anticipation for the higher costs,” including 1,200 drivers at Pizza Hut. Once the law took effect on April 1, 2024, “restaurants automated what they could to avoid the higher wages,” and “some fast food restaurants also closed.”
• By June 2024, Stanford University data indicated “over 10,000 fast food jobs were already lost.”...