Final answer:
The exact percentage of restaurant workers who are people of color earning less than the minimum wage is not specified, but it is known that such practices adversely affect women and minorities. Discussions on minimum wage also consider the impact of wage increases on job security, especially for vulnerable groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
The exact percentage of restaurant workers earning less than the minimum wage who are people of color is not provided in the provided information. However, what we can discern is that the practice of paying a subminimum wage to restaurant workers, such as the $2.13 subminimum wage, significantly affects women and minority workers according to One Fair Wage, an advocacy group. This group further notes that the restaurant industry, while being the fastest growing sector of the economy, remains the lowest paying, and the subminimum wage practices disproportionately hurt these groups. The argument about subminimum wages is nuanced and extends to various factors such as tip distribution, job stability, and the impact of policies on different demographic groups during events like the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit income levels of workers hard.
Moreover, employment and wage trends in the context of minimum wage laws raise questions about the societal trade-offs between job security and wage increases. Job losses caused by an increase in the minimum wage could disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, such as family supporters, compared to those working for discretionary income, like high school students during summer breaks. Thus, the broader implications of wage policies on different segments of the workforce are complex and worthy of careful consideration.