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UCLA Releases Study About Nail Salon Workers

by | Dec 1, 2018 | Wage and Hour

Earlier this month, the UCLA Labor Center released a study about the nail salon industry entitled “Nail Files: A Study of Nail Salon Workers and Industry in the United States” (hereinafter, “Nail Files”). According to the study

1. “71% of nail salon employees have some form of health insurance, a rate lower than the national rate of 88%. Of those with insurance, 42% have health insurance through their employer, compared to 62% of employer-insured workers nationally.” (“Nail Files,” at 26.)

2. “A survey of 189 Nepali workers in New York City found poor working conditions. Almost all the workers were paid a flat fee rather than an hourly wage. They could be paid as little as $30 per day, with most workers making between $40 and $70 per day.” (“Nail Files,” at 27.)

3. “A 2016-2017 survey of 93 Vietnamese nail salon workers in California found various wage violations including not being paid minimum wage or overtime, being paid late or being asked to work during a break.” (“Nail Files,” at 28.)

4. “BizMiner analyzed 12,742 salons and found that their average business revenue is 282,954[,]” and “about 33% goes to labor costs related to sales, officers, salaries, and pensions.” (“Nail Files,” at 41.)

Read the full study here.

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