low pay
Barely scraping by
Low pay is compensation that falls below what workers need for a decent standard of living, or below what similar work commands elsewhere.
The term appears in discussions of wage inequality and labor conditions: Low pay forces many workers to take second jobs.
What counts as low pay varies by region, industry, and era—often defined relative to median wages or cost of living.
- minimum wageLowest lawful hourly rate
- povertySevere lack of resources
- below the lineNon-recurring financial items
- underpaidGiven inadequate wages
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
paycheck to paycheck · paycheck · making ends meet · wages · hourly · bare minimum · exploitation · bills · rent · food stamps · dollar store · overtime · tips · sweatshop · nickel and dime · hustle · side hustle · broke
- work problemslayoff, firing, burnout, deadline pressure, job loss
- low wagesminimum wage, subsistence wage, below market rate
- teacher burnoutteacher burnout, emotional exhaustion, exhaustion, overwhelm, overwork
- workplace issuesturnover, layoffs, understaffing, harassment, discrimination
- academic career challengespublish or perish, job market, peer review, job scarcity, teaching load
- job barriersageism, sexism, racism, glass ceiling, gender bias
low paytop dollar
Maximum purchase amount
six-figure salary · executive compensation · big bucks · living wage · golden parachute
low payliving wage
Income covering necessities
fair wage · executive compensation · financial security · wealth · affluence