WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the nation prepares to celebrate Labor Day, Joint Economic Committee Democrats released a fact sheet today on the lack of job and income security for workers facing unpredictable schedules. Millions of workers start each week not knowing when they will work or how much they will earn.  About one in six workers have irregular work schedules, working split or rotating shifts, or shifts assigned on an on-call basis. 

While workers in jobs earning the lowest wages are most likely to face irregular schedules, higher earning workers are not immune: 16 percent of workers earning more than $60,000 annually are subjected to irregular schedules or split shifts compared to 20 percent for those workers earning less than $22,500. On-call scheduling, where workers have to call in to see if they are needed at work, also makes it more difficult to plan for child care, elder care, transportation and other arrangements that would allow employees to go to work while balancing their other responsibilities.

The fact sheet also highlights that on-call scheduling negatively affects workers and the broader economy in several ways. Unpredictable schedules constrain worker spending, are associated with more work-family conflict, can harm worker health, and even jeopardize child care subsidies that are often tied to number of hours worked.

Click here to view the fact sheet.