McDonald’s hires 14-year-olds to tackle America’s labor shortage
A McDonald’s store in Oregon, United States, calls those between the ages of 14 and 15 to apply for a job in the restaurant in the midst of The severe shortage of workers in the sector.
Fast food restaurants and other businesses across the country They are having trouble filling vacancies, regardless of the fact that epidemic restrictions They soften.
Against this backdrop, the Medford city franchise put up a sign outside the building two weeks ago, urging the youngest to come forward.
Since the restaurant made the offer, which complies with state labor laws, there has been a file Increase in job requests.
Heather Kennedy, who runs the Medford restaurant, told the publication interested in trade The current staff shortage is “unprecedented” in the 40 years his family has run McDonald’s franchises.
At first, he tried to attract more workers by raising the minimum wage for the restaurant to $15 an hour, but that didn’t generate enough interest.
However, Kennedy said he has received more than 25 new applications since it opened its doors to those under 16.
Various initiatives
McDonald’s declined to comment on the move, but told the BBC it was sharing its best practice guide for hiring with all of its franchises.
The company added that perks has a range of measures in place to address the staff shortage, including better salaries, bonuses for newcomers and new benefits such as childcare assistance.
Additionally, McDonald’s recently announced that it will raise wages to an average of $15 an hour at its owned restaurants across the country.
Labor protection for minors
McDonald’s isn’t the first fast food chain to ask young people to fill in the gaps.
Burger King and Wendy’s franchises have run similar ads recently.
Layne’s Chicken Finfers in Texas is promoting employees in their teens or early twenties to management positions, given the lack of more experienced workers.
Labor laws in the United States vary from state to state.
In Oregon, starting at age 14, people can work in non-hazardous jobs, such as hospitality, as long as their hours are limited so they can go to school and get enough time off.
However, it appears somewhat unusual, with the average age of a McDonald’s employee in the US being 27, according to data from job site Zippia.
There is currently a file Declare a shortage of workers in the United States It is due to a combination of factors, such as fear of COVID-19, schools that remain closed and a lack of affordable childcare that make people decide to stay at home.
Some economists also blame the generous benefits the federal government has provided during the pandemic, providing an extra $300 each week, but those measures have already been held up in many states.
It has been particularly difficult to fill vacancies for lower-paying, lower-skill positions, prompting large companies like Walmart and Amazon to offer bonuses to remaining employees and higher starting salaries.