42 Hourly Worker Payment Preference Trends Multi-Unit Restaurant Operators Must Know in 2026

Data on pay frequency, earned wage access, financial pressure, scheduling, and retention among hourly workers

Payment timing has become a more visible part of the hourly employee experience. Workers may still receive their regular wages weekly, biweekly, or semimonthly, but some employers also offer earned wage access, commonly called EWA, which allows employees to access part of their accrued wages before payday.

The scale of the hourly workforce makes these decisions relevant to restaurant operators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted approximately 81.5 million workers paid hourly rates in 2025. That figure covers wage and salary workers paid hourly on their primary job and excludes self-employed and non-hourly workers.

Recent workforce surveys also indicate a demand for more flexible pay arrangements. However, many of the statistics in this article come from surveys commissioned or published by workforce payment and workforce management vendors. Operators should treat them as indicators of employee sentiment rather than universal restaurant-industry benchmarks.

At Operators Daily, we cover payroll, workforce management, and operating practices for businesses managing hourly teams.

Key Takeaways

• BLS counted approximately 81.5 million workers paid hourly rates in 2025.
• In Branch’s 2025 survey, 63% preferred weekly pay or early wage access over relying only on the formal pay cycle.
• DailyPay’s commissioned survey found that 69% of Gen Z hourly workers wanted the option to access pay after each shift.
• EWA may involve transaction, expedited-delivery, subscription, or optional-tip costs. The CFPB found that fees were common when employers did not cover them.
• Operators should evaluate pay access alongside wages, scheduling, staffing, payroll controls, state law, employee fees, and system integration.

Understanding Hourly Pay Preferences

1. About 81.5 million workers are paid hourly

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 81.548 million workers paid hourly rates in 2025. The estimate covers workers aged 16 and older who received hourly pay on their principal job.

2. About 61.1 million work full-time

Of the hourly-paid workers counted by the BLS, approximately 61.107 million usually worked at least 35 hours per week.

3. About 20.3 million work part-time

BLS classified approximately 20.344 million hourly-paid workers as part-time in 2025.

4. Food service employs millions of people hourly

BLS counted approximately 7.317 million workers paid hourly rates in food services and drinking places in 2025. That makes pay-frequency and payroll decisions particularly relevant to restaurant operators.

5. Flexible pay attracts interest

Branch’s 2025 survey found that 63% of respondents preferred weekly pay or early wage access over relying solely on their regular pay cycle. The report surveyed more than 2,300 hourly workers.

6. Forty-four percent of delayed bills

In the same survey, 44% of workers said they had delayed essential bills such as rent, utilities, or medical expenses.

7. Early access may help cash flow

Branch reported that 85% of respondents considered early access to earned wages helpful for managing cash flow. This is a survey response, not evidence that EWA produces the same result for every employee.

8. Compensation remains a retention factor

In Branch’s survey, 65% of respondents identified compensation or pay as a leading reason for staying with their employer.

9. Work-life balance also matters

The same report found that 62% of respondents identified work-life balance as a reason they stayed. Pay timing should therefore be considered alongside scheduling and workload.

On-Demand Pay and EWA Use

Earned wage access generally allows an employee to obtain some accrued wages before the employer’s scheduled payday. Employer-partnered services are commonly integrated with payroll or timekeeping records, while direct-to-consumer products may estimate earnings from bank-account activity. The distinction can affect fees, repayment methods, and legal treatment. The GAO report explains both models.

10. More than seven million used EWA

The CFPB estimated that more than seven million workers used employer-partnered paycheck-advance products in 2022. The estimate was based on data from eight providers representing slightly less than half of that market.

11. Workers accessed about $22 billion

Those workers accessed approximately $22 billion through employer-partnered providers during 2022. This figure represents advanced volume, not the value of the EWA industry.

12. Transactions increased by more than 90%

The CFPB estimated that employer-partnered transactions grew by more than 90% from 2021 to 2022 among the providers studied.

13. The average advance was $106

The average employer-partnered transaction in the CFPB dataset was approximately $106 in 2022.

14. Users averaged 27 advances

Across the period studied, workers completed an average of 27 transactions yearly, or slightly more than two per month.

15. Fees were common

The CFPB reported that more than 90% of users paid at least one fee in 2022 when employers did not cover access costs.

16. Average paid fees were $3.18

For transactions that incurred a fee, the CFPB calculated an average cost of $3.18 per transaction.

17. Expedited fees reached $5.99

The products reviewed by the CFPB charged expedited-delivery fees ranging from approximately $1 to $5.99. Fee structures can change, so operators should verify current provider terms.

18. Expedited delivery drove fees

The CFPB reported that most fee revenue in its dataset came from expedited transfers.

19. Employer subsidies were limited

In the CFPB provider sample, employer subsidies represented approximately 5% of fee revenue. Employers considering EWA should decide whether employees or the business will bear transaction costs.

20. EWA products carry risks

The Government Accountability Office found that EWA may help workers meet obligations before payday, but it also identified potential risks involving unclear costs, overdrafts, and regulatory uncertainty.

Gen Z Payment Expectations

The following findings come from a 2024 online Harris Poll commissioned by DailyPay. Because DailyPay provides earned wage access services, the results should be described as commissioned survey findings rather than independent proof of EWA effectiveness.

21. Sixty-nine percent wanted shift-level access

The survey found that 69% of Gen Z hourly workers preferred the option to access pay after each shift instead of waiting for the end of a traditional pay period.

22. Eighty-one percent cited bill timing

DailyPay reported that 81% of respondents said on-demand pay helped or would help them pay bills on time.

23. Seventy-four percent cited payday loans

The survey found that 74% of respondents believed on-demand pay would help them avoid payday loans. The result measures opinion, not documented borrowing outcomes.

24. Seventy-four percent cited late fees

Another 74% of respondents said on-demand pay would help them avoid late fees.

25. Seventy-three percent liked their jobs

The Harris Poll found that 73% of Gen Z hourly workers said they liked or loved their current job.

26. Pay motivated 80%

Getting paid was the most frequently selected daily work motivator, cited by 80% of respondents.

27. Good pay motivated 70%

The survey reported that 70% of respondents said being paid well motivated them to do a good job.

28. On-demand pay ranked highly

Among all surveyed hourly employees whose employer offered on-demand pay, 82% called it one of their favorite benefits.

Scheduling and Workforce Management

Pay flexibility is only one part of the employee experience. Scheduling workload, staffing levels, predictability, and communication also influence how hourly teams operate.

The following statistics come from Legion Technologies’ 2025 survey of more than 1,200 hourly workers and more than 750 managers. Legion sells workforce-management software, so its findings should be treated as vendor-reported survey results.

29. Fifty-nine percent spend hours scheduling

Legion reported that 59% of managers spent at least three hours per week on scheduling.

30. More than 39% use older methods

More than 39% of managers said they relied on paper methods or basic software to create schedules.

31. Forty percent call or text

Legion found that 40% of managers still called or texted workers individually to fill open shifts.

32. Eleven percent used AI scheduling

Only 11% of managers reported using AI-enabled scheduling tools. The statistic measures reported adoption within Legion’s sample, not the entire employer market.

33. Most managers wanted productivity tools

More than 84% of managers said they were interested in technology that could calculate hourly employee productivity.

34. Eighty-six percent wanted smarter scheduling

The survey found that 86% of managers were interested in technology that could schedule more productive employees during peak periods.

35. Flexibility was a leading priority

Legion reported that 61% of workers identified schedule flexibility as their leading need beyond pay.

36. Productivity influenced flexibility needs

Among respondents discussing schedule flexibility, 44% said they wanted the freedom to work when they were most productive.

Retention and Staffing Pressure

Survey data can help operators identify potential concerns, but it does not prove that a specific payment benefit will improve retention. Operators should compare turnover, attendance, shift-fill rates, employee feedback, and EWA use before and after implementation.

37. Forty-nine percent considered leaving

Legion reported that 49% of workers in its sample planned to leave their current jobs within the following year.

38. Fifty-nine percent planned industry exits

Among those planning to quit, 59% expected to leave their current industry rather than take another position in the same field.

39. Fifty-eight percent cited low pay

Of the respondents planning to leave their industry, 58% cited insufficient pay as the reason.

40. Forty-three percent saw no improvements

Legion found that 43% of workers said their employer had done nothing to improve their workplace during the previous year.

41. Seventy-two percent worked understaffed

Branch reported that 72% of respondents had worked an inadequately staffed shift.

42. Ninety-three percent reported stress

Among Branch respondents who had experienced understaffing, 93% reported increased stress or burnout.

How to Choose a Payment Solution

Multi-unit restaurant operators should begin by defining the problem they are trying to solve. Faster access to wages may address employee requests about pay timing, but it does not replace competitive wages, reliable schedules, adequate staffing, or accurate payroll.

Review the following factors before selecting a provider:

• Employee costs: Identify transaction, expedited-transfer, subscription, card, ATM, and optional-tip charges.
• Employer costs: Determine whether pricing is based on employees, locations, payroll runs, transactions, or custom contracts.
• Access limits: Review the percentage of accrued wages employees may access and any daily or pay-period limits.
• Free options: Confirm whether employees have a genuinely free transfer method and how long that transfer takes.
• Payroll integration: Verify how the system receives approved hours, tips, deductions, corrections, and termination data.
• Reconciliation: Understand how advances appear on wage statements and are reconciled during payroll.
• State requirements: Review wage-payment, deduction, lending, licensing, and EWA-specific laws in every operating state.
• Data controls: Examine access permissions, incident-response practices, retention terms, and employee-data sharing.
• Employee support: Determine who handles missing wages, failed transfers, locked accounts, and disputed deductions.
• Measurement: Track participation, fees paid, payroll corrections, attendance, turnover, and employee feedback.

Operators should also distinguish employer-integrated EWA from direct-to-consumer advance products. These services may differ in how they determine available earnings, collect repayment, charge fees, and interact with payroll.

Legal and Payroll Considerations

Hourly pay and nonexempt status are not synonymous. However, most hourly restaurant employees are covered, nonexempt workers who must receive applicable minimum wage and overtime protections.

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, covered nonexempt employees generally must receive at least the applicable minimum wage and overtime pay of at least one and one-half times their regular rate for hours exceeding 40 in a workweek. The Department of Labor also requires employers to maintain accurate records of hours and wages. See the overtime guidance and recordkeeping rules.

Federal law does not establish meal or rest-break requirements for adult employees, although many states and localities do. Operators should not describe meal-period rules as universal federal protections.

Before implementing EWA, restaurants should obtain advice specific to the states in which they operate. Legal treatment can depend on program design, employee fees, repayment rights, wage deductions, and whether the service is employer-partnered or direct to consumer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What payment frequency do hourly workers prefer?

Preferences vary. In Branch’s 2025 survey, 63% of workers preferred weekly pay or early wage access over relying solely on the standard pay cycle. This was a cross-industry vendor survey, not a restaurant-only national estimate.

Is earned wage access free?

Not always. Some programs include a no-cost transfer option, while others charge for expedited delivery or other services. The CFPB found that employer-partnered users who paid a fee spent an average of $3.18 per transaction.

Does EWA reduce turnover?

It may influence recruiting or retention, but the original article’s precise reduction percentages were not supported by sufficiently transparent independent evidence. Operators should avoid promising a specific result and should measure outcomes against their own preimplementation data.

Is every hourly employee nonexempt?

No. The method of payment alone does not determine exemption status. Exempt status depends on the applicable legal tests, including duties and, for many exemptions, salary requirements. Review the DOL exemption guide.

How should restaurants evaluate EWA fees?

Review every employee and employer charge, including expedited-transfer fees, subscriptions, ATM fees, card fees, and optional tips. Confirm whether a practical free-transfer option exists and disclose costs clearly before enrollment.