Marqeta’s survey finds that a growing gig economy and the desire to avoid debt in today’s economy make Accelerated Wage Access (AWA) an attractive employer offering.

Workers today are interested in employers that offer expedited access to their earned pay, according to a new study conducted by Marqeta. In partnership with Qualtrics, Marqeta surveyed over 1,200 Americans to understand the evolving nature of today’s workforce and its impact on financial preferences. The survey found that 40% of Americans of all ages (18-65+), and half of those under the age of 50, consider themselves part of the gig economy. Of those, 80% said they would be interested in an employer that paid them right after their shift or when a job was completed. This was also true for all Americans surveyed, where nearly two-thirds of respondents (62%) said that the option to receive payment immediately after work is completed would heighten their interest in a particular employer, shedding a light on the growing desire for companies to offer expedited access to pay.

With inflation and interest rates remaining high, instant access to earned wages is a benefit that could help Americans reach more financial stability. According to the survey, the primary reason for wanting to get paid immediately was to be able to pay bills on time, which was consistent across every age group (18-65+), and highest among 35-50 year olds. The second most common reason was being able to budget more easily, further underscoring the importance to American workers of prompt compensation to meet their financial needs.

“American workers are suffering to make ends meet and are feeling the effects of high interest rates, inflation and a potential credit crunch,” said Simon Khalaf, Chief Executive Officer of Marqeta. “Demand for solutions like Accelerated Wage Access is on the rise and allows more businesses to offer their employees fast and secure access to their earned money, helping to reduce their need for credit and improve their overall financial well-being.”

Accelerate Wage Access (AWA), defined as solutions that allow access to wages earlier than the two-week pay cycle can help people manage their finances in a secure and cost-effective manner when integrated with an employer. As the gig and creator economies continue to grow and represent a considerable portion of today’s US workforce, consumer expectations for their finances will likely make this feature more prominent. The survey highlights how the younger population could drive further change toward faster pay in the coming years:

• 56% of ages 18-24 year olds consider themselves part of the gig economy and 77% would be interested in an employer who offered an option to get paid immediately.
• The next age group, 26-34 years old, had almost half (48%) consider themselves part of the gig economy and 71% would be interested in an employer who offered an option to get paid immediately.

Marqeta explores AWA and how it benefits workers and businesses in its newest white paper, Accelerating Prosperity: The Power of Accelerating Worker Access to Pay, including stats from its latest survey. The report outlines AWA’s role in embedded finance and how it can help improve self-sufficiency for workers and the ability to recruit top talent and productivity for businesses. Download the full report here.

About Marqeta

Marqeta’s modern card issuing platform empowers its customers to create customized and innovative payment cards. Marqeta’s platform, powered by open APIs, gives its customers the ability to build more configurable and flexible payment experiences, accelerating product development and democratizing access to card issuing technology. Its modern architecture provides instant access to highly scalable, cloud-based payment infrastructure that enables customers to launch and manage their own card programs, issue cards and authorize and settle transactions. Marqeta is headquartered in Oakland, California and is certified to operate in 40 countries globally. For more information, visit www.marqeta.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements expressed or implied in this press release include, but are not limited to, quotations and statements relating to changing consumer preferences; increasing consumer adoption of certain digital payment methods, products, and solutions; which payment, banking, and financial services products and solutions may succeed; technological and market trends; Marqeta’s business; Marqeta’s products and services; and statements made by Marqeta’s senior leadership. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in these statements due to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the following: any factors creating issues with changes in domestic business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; the effect of and uncertainties related to the global COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. and global economies and demand for Marqeta’s services and products; the uncertainties and direct and indirect effects of the significant military action against Ukraine launched by Russia, including threats of attacks against U.S. financial institutions as retaliation against financial institutions for sanctions imposed against Russia; the risk that Marqeta is unable to further attract and grow its customer base; the risk that consumers will not perceive the benefits of Marqeta’s products and services, including digital payment and banking products and services; the risk that Marqeta's products and services do not operate as intended, including digital payment and banking products and services; the risk that Marqeta’s products and solutions will not achieve the expected market acceptance, including digital payment and banking products and services; and the risk that competition could reduce expected demand for Marqeta’s products and services, including digital payment and banking products and services. Detailed information about these risks and other factors that could potentially affect Marqeta’s business, financial condition and results of operations are included in the “Risk Factors” disclosed in Marqeta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time in Marqeta’s periodic filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov and Marqeta’s website at http://investors.marqeta.com. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Marqeta as of the date hereof. Marqeta disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

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