Young Earners and Learners in the Retail and Restaurant Industries in Los Angeles

• In Event: 45.091 - Factors of Difference That Impact Learning in the Workplace

Abstract

Young people in Los Angeles make up nearly 20 percent of the nation’s most populated county. Based on recent census data, one in every four workers in LA is between the ages of 18-29 with nearly 30% of all young workers employed in the retail and restaurant industries. Currently, half a million Angelenos attend college and work with three-quarters enrolled in a public university. Based on 550 surveys and 30 in-depth interviews conducted by the UCLA Labor Center, this paper explores the learning experiences of young low-wage retail and restaurant workers juggling work and college and offers a detailed analysis of "earners and learners" in the Los Angeles' service economy.

Authors

• Janna Shadduck-Hernandez, University of California - Los Angeles

• Saba Waheed, University of California - Los Angeles