Verfico at present launched findings from its 2023 Verfico Survey: Wage Theft in America. The nationwide survey exposes the stunning lack of public consciousness about wage theft and its penalties for corporations and staff.
Verfico surveyed 1,000 adults from throughout the US to gauge their basic understanding and consciousness of wage theft. After respondents had been supplied a definition and examples of wage theft—comparable to misclassifying staff as impartial contractors, paying lower than the minimal wage, failing to pay time beyond regulation, and requiring off-the-clock work—they had been requested about their private experiences and opinions on potential options.
Key findings of the survey embody:
- Wage theft is misunderstood by staff. Solely 20% of survey individuals may precisely outline wage theft as an employer withholding a portion of a employee’s rightfully earned pay. Notably, almost half as many respondents—10%—mistakenly believed wage theft refers to conditions the place staff steal from their employers.
- Wage theft is unreported by victims. In response to the survey, 38% of People have personally skilled wage theft (18%) and/or know somebody who has (27%). This quantity is even increased within the development business, with 2 out of 5 development staff reporting private experiences and/or figuring out somebody affected by wage theft. Of those that have skilled wage theft, 57% mentioned they didn’t report it to authorities, and of those that did, 39% had been left empty-handed. The 2 commonest causes for not reporting wage theft had been lack of awareness (28%) and worry of reprisals (31%).
- Wage theft is damaging to employers. Whereas some employers interact in wage theft knowingly, many others don’t—significantly within the development business, the place a contractor’s visibility into the labor practices of subcontractors has historically been restricted. Both manner, employers danger severe prison and civil penalities—in addition to reputational harm. Totally 72% of respondents mentioned they apprehensive that development corporations that dedicated wage theft would lower different corners as nicely.
“This survey underscores the vital want for higher consciousness and understanding of wage theft, particularly in industries like development,” mentioned Matthew DeSarno, CEO at Verfico. “By embracing the correct mixture of schooling, know-how, and public coverage options, we are able to empower each employers and staff to take a stand in opposition to wage theft, finally fostering a extra simply and equitable office for everybody.”
Go to the 2023 Verfico Survey: Wage Theft in America at Verfico’s web site for the whole survey outcomes.
