Would you like fries with that or just a McJob?
Yesterday, April 19, McDonald’s held a hiring spree across the U.S. with the goal of hiring 50,000 new employees. Wow. That’s a lot of supersizing going on.
Kudos to McDonald’s! The company provides many jobs and fuels the local economy, and obviously is doing something right. After all, reports show that the burger giant’s profits have continued to increase as the economy struggles.
In the days leading up to the event, the media coverage of the upcoming employment frenzy continued to build. In fact, all the fuss got me thinking if hiring 50,000 new employees was really needed or just a McPublicity stunt.
I did a little research and learned that 50,000 employees break down to about four employees per fast food restaurant. Now these employees can be part or full time—McDonald’s has not indicated the exact number of hours, since each position is based on the store’s needs. Also, these jobs can be anything from a fry guy to a toilet cleaner. I guess that depends on what the applicant’s qualifications are and once again, what the particular store needs.
But still, 50,000 jobs sounds good, right? With an estimated nine percent unemployment in the U.S., how a corporation as large as the Golden Arches can actually have so many positions available is chalked up to growth and current profits rising. As McDonald’s reps have stated, they accept applications every day, and really, April 19 was no different except kiosks were set up in many lobbies and hiring managers were ready to interview potential applicants on the spot. But 50,000 jobs are available and the country is facing nine percent unemployment? Does anyone else find this peculiar?
How can so many people be out of work, yet there are so many new jobs to be had?
Maybe it’s got something to do with the average wage these McLucky four new employees at each burger joint will see in their paychecks. According to a CNN report, “the starting wage is typically more than $8 an hour, McDonald's spokeswoman Ashlee Yingling said - but many of the stores list a starting wage of $7.25 online - the same as federal minimum wage.”
So it’s better than nothing, right? If you’re unemployed, why not apply? Money is money. Don’t forget financial gurus say in order to maintain a relatively low standard of living, $30,000 annually is needed.
Oops. At $8 an hour, an employee would need to work at least 72 hours a week, 52 weeks a year to bring home nearly $30,000. That’s a lot of burgers to flip and a heck of a lot of McTime to be working. Maybe the real concern is not that McDonald’s is hiring 50,000 nationwide, but that the minimum wage is just that—too minimum. Of course that opens up another discussion for a different day.
Or is having no job better than having a minimum wage job? Is it not cool to work at a fast food restaurant? Or do people choose to remain unemployed? A job is a job and money is money, right?
In the meantime, I’ll continue to sip on my McD’s Sweet Tea and finish my McSandwich.