While Branch has grown and evolved, we’ve always built our application to improve the lives of hourly workers. We’re constantly engaging with hourly workers across industries to understand their unique challenges and concerns. It’s become even more important now how their lives have changed during these unprecedented times. The frontline employees helping communities navigate the pandemic have consisted primarily of hourly workers.

That’s why we’ve brought back the Branch Report and surveyed over 3,000 hourly employees across a variety of sectors including food service, retail, and healthcare. We take an in-depth look at how much of their priorities and concerns have changed since last year, especially in light of COVID-19:

Finances: This year’s report found that the pandemic has taken a devastating toll on their finances, as 52 percent of hourly workers surveyed had $0 in emergency savings, a 12 percent increase from last year.

• Even with stimulus checks, 76 percent had already delayed or missed a bill payment, with another 10 percent expecting to because of the virus.
• 94 percent of hourly employees said accessing their pay before pay day would be helpful, a 14 percent increase from last year (79.6%)

Work: Higher wages became even more important to hourly workers this year, increasing 14 percent with 77 percent of hourly workers citing it as their top work priority.

• A stable, predictable schedule (53%) and a positive work culture (36%) rounded out the top three once again, even outpacing a safe work environment during COVID-19 (26%).
• The pandemic influenced hourly workers’ job searches, with 33 percent affirming that the pandemic had impacted the type of job they were looking for.

Lifestyle: For the second year in a row, Netflix was not only hourly workers’ favorite entertainment platform (84%), but also the platform they most likely had a paid subscription for (74%).

• Nearly 70 percent (68.5%) of hourly workers were already registered and ready to vote in the 2020 election, while another 6 percent had not registered to vote but planned to vote this election.
• And they know that their votes matter -- 76 percent believe that the 2020 election will impact their current economic situation.
  

These are just a few of the findings from our report. To learn more and download the full report below.