Does Working Full-Time Guarantee Hospital Service Workers’ Material Well-Being? A Latent Class Regression Analysis

Despite efforts to maintain a satisfactory quality of life, a significant proportion of American workers face substantial material hardship. However, studies of material hardship have paid scant attention to lower-wage workers; hospital service, clerical, and technical workers represent a crucial yet understudied subset of this population. Using survey data from hospital workers employed by a large hospital in Pennsylvania, this research identified prevailing patterns of material hardship among these workers and investigated contributing factors, including hourly wages, utilization of public benefits, and demographics. The findings revealed the presence of two distinct material hardship groups: the high-hardship group (those with a high risk of experiencing multiple hardships concurrently) and the low-hardship group (those with a low risk). Notably, higher wages, better health, and being White were associated with a reduced likelihood of belonging to the high-hardship group. Conversely, an increased number of children in a household and utilization of a utility bill assistance program were associated with an elevated risk of belonging to the high-hardship group. The results hold several policy implications, including the need to increase hourly wages, enlarge antipoverty policy initiatives, enhance access to preventive health services, and offer more comprehensive childcare support.