Since the minimum wage for workers in the California fast-food industry increased to $20 an hour in April, fast-food menu prices have increased by an average of 3.7 percent across the board. But it hasn’t resulted in job losses for fast-food workers as many feared.
According to a study released by UC Berkeley, the wage increase for California fast-food workers has resulted in a pay raise for about 750,000 fast-food workers.
As of July, the number of jobs in the fast-food industry in California increased by 10,000 compared to before the minimum wage increase, so there were no layoffs due to wage increases.
Menu prices increased by 3.7 percent overall, but some chains, such as Chipotle and In-N-Out, saw even larger price increases.