Rising Fuel Costs Change How 64% of Workers Work

A posted hourly wage can overstate what a shift is worth to the person being asked to work it.

Gas, tolls, vehicle expenses and unpaid travel time come out of what the worker earns, and those costs can turn an otherwise acceptable shift into one that no longer pays enough to take. The June 2026 Wage to Wallet Index, produced jointly by PYMNTS Intelligence and WorkWhile, shows workers are already making decisions on that basis.

Among Labor Economy workers affected by higher fuel costs, 15% have turned down a shift because the drive was not worth the pay. Another 16% are working fewer days to save gas. Overall, 64% have changed how or whether they work in response to rising fuel costs, compared with 55% of higher earners.

Those findings create an opening for workforce platforms to put more information into the decision workers make before accepting a shift.

The data identifies estimated take-home pay after commute costs as one option. A platform could also match workers with nearby shifts, provide transportation support and pay workers promptly. The end result is to give workers enough information to avoid assignments that leave too little income after the cost of getting there, while helping employers fill shifts that make financial sense for the available workforce.

That could make distance and transportation expense more relevant to shift matching. Two jobs with the same hourly wage can produce different results for a worker if one requires substantially more money and time to reach. The report’s recommendations would make some of that difference visible before the worker commits.

The stakes extend beyond a declined shift. Among affected Labor Economy workers, 17% missed a shift or workday because of transportation problems, 16% arrived late and lost hours or pay, and 9% faced discipline or the risk of losing a job. Seven percent quit or lost a job because of repeated transportation problems.

Financial Providers Have a Role Before the Shift Starts

The same challenges reveal opportunities for banks, FinTechs and payments companies.

Low-fee instant pay is one. The other options are directed more specifically at transportation: dedicated commute balances, fuel rewards, cash flow alerts and emergency savings tools.

Those products address a basic feature of commuting that matters for lower-paid workers. Transportation has to be funded before the shift produces income. A worker short on available cash may therefore have difficulty getting to work even when the wages from the shift would ultimately cover the expense.

But there should be caution against solving that problem through additional borrowing. Nineteen percent of affected Labor Economy workers already borrow or use credit for transportation, which is why the report describes credit as a last resort.

Savings levels help explain the concern. Forty-eight percent of Labor Economy workers have one month or less of savings, compared with 27% of non-Labor Economy workers. Only 52% are confident they could cover a $1,200 emergency, compared with 68% of higher earners.

That leaves employers, workforce platforms and financial providers addressing different parts of the same problem. Platforms can give workers better information about what a shift will yield after transportation costs and direct them toward work closer to home.

 Financial providers can offer ways to plan for, reduce or cover commuting expenses without making credit the default. Prompt payment can shorten the time between doing the work and receiving the money.

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