Some employees are destroying value. Others are building it. Do you know the difference?
Three of four frontline workers want to be promoted, but less than one in four achieves it. Companies can take targeted actions to better support these workers.
The vast majority of Americans are introduced to the workforce through frontline jobs—whether waiting tables, stocking store shelves, or folding clothes. Approximately 70 percent of the current US workforce is concentrated in frontline jobs.1 Too often, however, frontline jobs are both a starting point and an end point for workers. Our research found this challenge is especially true for frontline workers of color, who face an array of impediments to moving up the ladder.
This report shines a light on the experiences of frontline workers of color, the pathways from the front line to the middle class, and the skills workers need to advance. It also offers steps companies could take to improve job quality and better support frontline workers of color to develop and progress in their careers.
With 112 million workers, the frontline workforce is massive but not a monolith. Frontline professionals (for example, school teachers and registered nurses) number 17 million workers who earn an average annual salary of $54,000.2 Frontline hourly and salaried roles (such as retail salespeople, cooks, and store managers) are filled by 95 million workers who earn an average annual income of $33,000. Our research focused on this second category.
The front line is a vital part of nearly all sectors of the economy. They are the public face of many organizations, working in industries from healthcare to transportation and logistics to foodservice. They make tremendous contributions to the US economy, including carrying the nation through the pandemic. Yet despite these contributions, frontline workers experience the greatest hardship from economic disruption.
Workers of color, who are overrepresented in the US frontline workforce, feel these challenges more acutely than their White counterparts. At many companies, frontline roles are a revolving door with low pay and little advancement, leaving workers of color without a path to move up the ladder. As a result, more employees of color are in roles with lower job quality (for example, jobs that lack healthcare benefits or don’t pay a living wage3).
Our research found employees in frontline roles report the worst experience. Frontline hourly employees are nearly 20 percent less likely than corporate employees to believe that DEI policies are effective (Exhibit 1). Just one-third of workers in the bottom 10 percent of income had jobs with paid sick leave.4 In addition, 45 percent of hourly employees don’t believe their company encourages them to take advantage of work-life policies (for example, leave of absence and parental leave) without jeopardizing their employment or career advancement. These factors have a dramatic influence on their job experience and views of their company.
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