UCLA labor researchers tell Assembly student workers face deep financial strain; propose expanded work‑study, internship tax credit

UCLA Labor Center researchers told the California State Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth and Household Impact on a stop of its “pocketbook” tour in Paramount that many college students who also work face chronic financial insecurity and health impacts that threaten graduation and the state’s future workforce.

The research — presented by Saba Wahid, director of the UCLA Labor Center, and former student researcher Hina Malik — drew on 139 survey responses and 26 in‑depth interviews of students attending public colleges and universities across Los Angeles County. The presenters said the data show a majority of student workers earn little, lack benefits, and work hours that interfere with coursework.

The findings matter because, the UCLA researchers said, students who must work long hours to survive are less likely to complete degrees or secure career‑aligned experience — a result with implications for California’s labor pipeline and economic competitiveness.

Wahid said the Labor Center’s shift to focus on “workers and learners” reflects concern that early‑career work and working while studying shape lifetime earnings. “Early career work impacts your entire lifetime of earnings,” she said, describing the project’s research‑justice approach that centers student researchers in study design and outreach.

Hina Malik, who worked on the summer research program, summarized the project’s core results: 65 percent of survey respondents reported annual earnings under $15,000; 63 percent of students who receive financial aid said it is insufficient; about one‑third borrowed money for essentials; 43 percent cannot cover all expenses; and 71 percent reported working while sick because they could not miss a shift. Malik said many students hold full‑time course loads while working more than 15 hours weekly — “working 20 hours, 25, 30 and so on,” she said — which the researchers linked to worse academic outcomes and higher anxiety.

The presenters also described mismatch between jobs and career goals: roughly half of surveyed students said their paid jobs are not related to their intended field. Malik said the group found that only about one in five students had jobs aligned with social science or STEM majors, and that 55 percent of student workers received no workplace benefits.

Panel recommendations delivered to the committee included: expanding state‑funded work‑study eligibility and capacity; a statewide internship tax credit to incentivize small businesses to hire paid interns in career‑aligned positions; adjusting financial‑aid formulas to reflect regional cost‑of‑living differences; expanding workers’ rights education (the UCLA team referenced AB 800 as an example of early education about worker rights); and boosting paid, career‑aligned internship opportunities and mentoring programs.

Hina Malik framed the policy ask as coming directly from students: “If you had a magic wand, what would you change?” she said the students asked for expanded work‑study, internship incentives, and aid adjustments to reflect local costs.

Assemblymember Mike Gibson, who attended the hearing and chairs the Assembly revenue and taxation committee, told the panel that the recommendations align with his committee’s jurisdiction. “So all three of those, they will fall under my committee because I chair the revenue and taxation committee,” Gibson said.

Public commenters at the hearing included Jimmy Mancilla, a former student researcher who worked on the same project, who said the study’s numbers reflected his lived experience: “If I take a sick day, I can’t pay rent, but if I don’t, my grades suffer.”

The committee did not take formal votes at the Paramount hearing. Members thanked presenters and said the research would inform future budget and legislative discussions on financial aid and internship policy.

Looking ahead, UCLA’s Labor Center urged legislative action to expand paid work‑study and to create incentives for paid, career‑relevant internships so students can gain experience without sacrificing financial stability or academic progress. The committee indicated interest in those ideas but made no commitments at the hearing.

Sources: testimony by Saba Wahid and Hina Malik, UCLA Labor Center; public comment by Jimmy Mancilla; committee remarks by Assemblymember Mike Gibson.