Half of Amazon’s Warehouse Workers Can’t Afford Basic Necessities, Report Reveals

Nearly half of Amazon's frontline warehouse workers faced some form of food or housing insecurity in the previous three months, a new report reveals. The study, commissioned by the Center for Urban Economic Development (CUED) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), reveals the poor economic conditions endured by many of the company's warehouse staff.

“The hourly pay at Amazon is not enough for the backbreaking work ... For the hard work we do and the money Amazon makes, every associate should make a livable wage,” said Linda Howard, who has worked at Amazon for 6 years in the ATL6 facility outside of Atlanta.

The study surveyed 1,484 workers across 451 facilities in 42 states, marking the largest nationwide study of Amazon employees to date. The first part revealed excessive monitoring, with about 40% saying that “the monitoring contributed to pressure to move faster, even if that meant increasing the risk of injury.”

“It used to be the case that big, leading firms in the economy provided a path to the middle class and relative economic security,” said Dr. Sanjay Pinto, senior fellow at CUED and co-author of the report. “Our data indicate that roughly half of Amazon’s frontline warehouse workers are struggling with food and housing insecurity and being able to pay their bills. That’s not what economic security looks like.”

“We are stuck in a nightmare: Living in an economy that puts no cap on worker exploitation, while our wages can’t keep up with the increase in our cost of living. This cycle has to stop.”

— Linda Howard, Amazon warehouse employee

Dr. Beth Gutelius, research director at CUED and co-author of the report, highlighted the connection between health and safety issues and economic insecurity among Amazon's workforce. “Workers having to take unpaid time off due to pain or exhaustion are far more likely to experience food and housing insecurity, and difficulty paying their bills,” she said.

Key findings of the report include:

53% of workers experienced one or more forms of food insecurity in the previous three months.
48% experienced one or more forms of housing insecurity during the same period.
Over half (56%) could not pay all their bills without a remaining balance.
One-third of workers (33%) relied on publicly funded assistance programs, including 23% who used the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Workers who took unpaid time off due to health impacts reported higher levels of food insecurity (60%) compared to those who did not take time off (36%).

Amazon has disputed the survey’s findings, criticizing the methodology as flawed. A spokesperson stated that the average hourly pay in the U.S. is now $20.50 and highlighted the benefits provided to employees.

“Many Amazon associates cannot pay their bills, they can’t afford proper housing — some of my coworkers have been forced out of their homes,” Howard added. “We are stuck in a nightmare: Living in an economy that puts no cap on worker exploitation, while our wages can’t keep up with the increase in our cost of living. This cycle has to stop.”

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