Fast Food Giant McDonald's to Hire Older Workers

Fast food giant McDonald’s franchisees need to hire 250,000 workers for the summer season. Amid a tight job market that is causing restaurants nationwide to struggle with a shortage of staff, McDonald’s is hoping to lure older Americans into joining its workforce. The company is working with the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) to hire older workers for its nearly 14,000 U.S. fast-food restaurants. Currently, according to a report by CNBC, 40 percent of the company’s workforce is made up of teens, while only 11 percent of their workers are over 50.
To find applicants, McDonald’s will post job openings on the AARP’s job board. Also they will work with AARP Foundation’s Senior Community Service Employment Program and Back To Work 50+ workforce development services to start a program to help older adults return to work after they have been out of the workforce. The pilot program will run in five states: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina before rolling out nationwide this summer.
McDonald’s is positioning itself as company where people at every stage of their working life can thrive and see growth while offering a variety of perspectives that all employees can learn from. Especially attractive about older employees to McDonald’s is that they most likely will make it easier to staff morning and early afternoon shifts, since teenagers and students typically aren’t able or willing to work mornings.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by 2024, adults ages 55 and older will nearly represent 25% of the civilian workforce. That’s 41 million Americans! The food and beverage labor force is expected to grow 14% by 2026, so recruiting older workers will definitely help limit the deficit of workers in this industry.

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