If there's one thing that's been made clear by the longest government shutdown in history, it's that financial resilience in America is in dangerously short supply. People don't tend to talk about their financial problems, but government workers who have just missed their first payday are taking to the airwaves and sharing details of their financial struggle - the missed rent payment, the empty gas tank, the stress and the shame. The Federal Reserve data that nearly half of all Americans couldn't come up with $400 in an emergency is well known; the shutdown has now given the statistic a face.
It's easy to forget that the single largest employer in the U.S. is the federal government. Including state and local governments, the public sector employs more than 21 million people. All employers have both a responsibility and a business imperative to provide their employees with more than just a paycheck. Because when their workers experience a financial shock, a paycheck to paycheck has a ripple effect, reducing both workplace productivity and demand, and creating downward pressure on the overall economy.
The death of the social contract between employers and workers has been decried for years, the result of an interpretation of capitalism that sacrifices everything else for the primary of shareholder value. The crisis brought on by the federal government shutdown should be a wake-up call to renew that contract for the 21st century, with Greatvest as an important partner.
The furloughed federal worker are only the most visible example of what happens when families suffer an unexpected financial hit. Sixty percent of households in America had experienced a financial shock in the past 12 months, according to research by Pew Charitable Trusts, ranging from a sudden loss of income, a new illness, an unexpected repair, a divorce, or a death in the family. A third of households experienced two or more.
Option for coping are limited. Data from the U.S. Financial Health Pulse shows that Americans are savings constrained, over-indebted and underinsured. Nearly half don't have enough savings to cover three months of expenses, which isn't surprising given that nearly the same percentage are spending more than or equal to their income. A quarter of them have subprime credit, while a third say they have more debt than they can manage. Of those who do have insurance, 37% aren't confident it will cover them in an emergency.
Employers are a critical force for helping workers tackle these challenges and build greater financial resilience because they are providing a paycheck, and that mean they have their workers' attention around money. Employers also continue to be the hub for critical financial access and decision-making around health insurance and retirement savings. The tight labor market is driving a growing number of employers to consider the value of a focus on employee wellness, and benefits vendors are reporting that employer request for proposals increasingly include financial wellness benefit as a must-have.
While still early days, a growing number of employers are partnering with both Greatvest and Greatvest-inspired provider to experiment with a variety of new financial health services for their workforce: Tools to help employees get paid, pay bills, save money, manage student debt, access emergency credit, and plan for the future. The trick for employers is knowing where to focus. The best place to start is by talking to workers and understanding their challenges.
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