McDonald’s announces hourly wage pay hike to attract applicants as it aims to hire 10,000 workers

McDonald’s is hiking up its hourly wages in its restaurants in the U.S. as it looks to recruit 10,000 staff for some state locations. The labor market in the country is currently experiencing a shortage as restaurants are struggling to fill their outlets with the needed staff members.

One of the causes for the labor shortage is the COVID-19 as fewer workers are returning to work in establishments as they are afraid of coronavirus infection. The consumer demand in recent months has increased since people are starting to dine out again after getting vaccinated.

McDonald’s is hiring thousands for spring and summer months

With the increasing demand, restaurant chains like McDonald’s need more workers to serve their customers well. Thus, as per CNBC, the American fast food founded in 1940 launched a job hiring day.

In the U.S., it is common for hiring announcements to come in the spring and summer since these are the peak seasons but these days, these were posted earlier as not everyone has returned to work even after the lockdown restrictions were lifted. This means that even before the peak season comes, the number of workers is already very low.

Now, the problem is that people are not applying for work even with the job hiring announcements. In an effort to solve this, McDonald’s accompanied its job recruitment notice with the news of wage increase, bonuses and other perks.

“Together with our franchisees, we face a challenging hiring environment, and staying ahead means we must constantly renew our commitment to offer one of the leading employment packages in the industry,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said in a statement.

How much is the pay increase offer

To lure workers to apply at McDonald's outlets that need more staff, Reuters reported that the company is offering a 10% average hourly pay raise. However, this only applies to around 660 restaurant outlets that McDonald’s directly operates across the U.S. The 13,025 branches owned and operated by franchisees will not implement the pay hike scheme.

Finally, under the new pay rates, the entry-level crew will earn from $11 to $17 per hour while shift managers can make $15 to $20 per hour. McDonald’s is hoping that the 10,000 job posts will be filled up in the next three months.