Liz Ananat
lizananat.bsky.social
Liz Ananat
@lizananat.bsky.social
Mallya Professor of Women & Economics at Barnard College, Columbia University. Co-convener for Policies & Inequalities, Columbia Population Center. Obama CEA alum. Views=own. She/her.
Reposted by Liz Ananat
The recurring theme of work requirements is that they hurt people who are working or looking for work.
Worse, the requirements make it impossible for some workers, such as those in the service sector with irregular hours. From @lizananat.bsky.social www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
May 30, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Inspired by your great work on hours volatility!

www.brookings.edu/articles/low...
Low-income workers experience—by far—the most earnings and work hours instability
Instability is a defining characteristic of low-income workers’ earnings and work hours.
www.brookings.edu
May 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Combined, these sources of volatility mean that nearly 1 in 3 service workers in households with children *who meet or exceed 80 work hours/month* over the course of the year would fall short of the work requirement in at least one month–and get kicked off basic needs programs: 8/8
May 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Turnover is also high in the service sector–and the bill does not allow work search by those between jobs to count as work effort: 7/n
May 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
This volatility means that even someone who works on average throughout the year at well above the 80 hours/month required by the law is highly likely to have a “short” month and get kicked off basic needs programs: 6/n
May 27, 2025 at 2:04 PM
That’s despite how hard it is to raise a family on this type of work. Hours fluctuate enormously in these jobs–driven overwhelmingly by employers’ focus on meeting fluctuating customer demand with the lowest possible labor costs, not by workers’ preferences: 5/n
May 27, 2025 at 2:03 PM
And those aren’t just casual jobs held by young men who spend the rest of their time “playing video games”--in fact, service work has become more common for low-income families with school-age children than for any other group. 4/n
May 27, 2025 at 2:01 PM
That’s bc Congress fails to understand low-wage work today: The bill is designed as if low-wage workers are still pulling fixed shifts at a factory &should just sign up for more shifts–but in reality, low-wage workers are increasingly in jobs in the service sector (retail, food service, health) 3/n
May 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Each year, the bill would kick off 1 in 3 parents who work 80+ hours per month in the most common low-wage jobs *even if they manage to fill out the paperwork*, our new research with w/Olivia Howard @hamiltonproject.org finds: www.brookings.edu/articles/wor...
2/n
Work requirements penalize workers in volatile occupations
Elizabeth Ananat, Anna Gassman-Pines, and Olivia Howard warn that work requirements, such as those Congress is currently considering adding or expanding in means-tested programs, penalize low-income w...
www.brookings.edu
May 27, 2025 at 1:53 PM