A new study has found that the largest proportion of workers in poverty work in the fast food industry. In California in particular, there has been a rise in homelessness, also closely associated with working in the fast food industry. These economic disparities and financial struggles are partly due to the low wages of many fast food jobs and the part-time hours. Many workers in the fast food industry are underemployed because that they are unable to work enough hours to earn enough pay to stay above the poverty line. As cost of living continues to rise in the US, some people argue that fast food companies need to invest more in their employees in order to sustain their long-term profits.
See "In the US, fast food workers make up a large portion of the impoverished and homeless populations due to insufficient wages and work hours", Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, May 4, 2023