UCLA research: most student workers in Los Angeles struggle to cover basic needs, panel tells Assembly hearing

Assemblymember Jose Solache convened an informational hearing in Paramount where researchers from the UCLA Labor Center testified that many public college students in Los Angeles County work long hours for low pay and face regular difficulty covering basic needs.

The UCLA Labor Center presented survey and interview findings showing 65% of surveyed student workers earn under $15,000 a year; 63% of those receiving financial aid called it insufficient; 71% reported working while sick because they could not afford to miss a shift. "Students aren't just learners. They're the workers who keep Los Angeles running, often at the cost of their own health," said Saba Wahid, director of the UCLA Labor Center.

The panel said a majority of student workers hold full-time course loads while working more than 15 hours a week, with many working 20–30 hours; half of student respondents reported their jobs had no connection to their career goals. Hina Malik, a student researcher who led part of the UCLA Labor Center summer study, told the committee, "We conducted 139 surveys and 26 in-depth interviews" and summarized the findings: "Two thirds work more than 15 hours a week with many working over 30," and "55 percent of student workers receive no workplace benefits."

Why it matters: Panelists told the committee that students balancing heavy work and course loads risk delayed graduation, poorer learning outcomes and deteriorating mental and physical health, which may reduce the future pipeline of credentialed workers for the state.

Details and recommendations offered to the Assembly included expanding state-funded work study to reach students who currently fall outside eligibility; instituting a statewide internship tax credit to encourage small businesses to hire paid interns aligned with students' fields; adjusting financial aid formulas to reflect regional cost-of-living differences; and ramping up employer- and campus-based career pathways and paid internship opportunities. "A statewide internship tax credit would offset onboarding costs while encouraging students to take on jobs that align with their intended career," Malik said.

Panelists emphasized academic flexibility and worker protections as complementary strategies: record lectures, increase flexibility around attendance and deadlines, expand workers' rights training, and scale up paid, career-aligned work opportunities at public universities and community colleges. Saba Wahid described the UCLA Labor Center's Research Justice approach, which centers student voices in study design and findings.

Assembly members asked practical next steps. Assemblyman Michael Gibson asked the panel for a three-item legislative "wish list"; Malik reiterated expanding state work study, the internship tax credit and aid-formula adjustments. Committee members said such proposals could be considered in revenue, taxation and higher-education policy discussions.

The research was presented during the hearing's first panel; panelists and student researchers asked the Assembly to consider budget and statutory changes to make paid, career-aligned student work more widely available and to reduce the number of hours students must work to stay enrolled.

Provenance: UCLA Labor Center presentation and student testimony, as recorded in the committee transcript.