The hiring spree comes at a critical time when the US unemployment rate is at 13.3%
McDonald’s will ramp up hiring across the US this summer as more restaurants offer the dine-in option after months of slowdown due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The fast-food chain is set to hire 260,000 restaurant employees as it moves to increase operations gradually and bring back items on a menu which had been pared down to maintain efficiency.
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While virtually all US stores remained open during the lockdown, the fast-food behemoth operated at a reduced capacity, offering mainly drive-thru, takeaway and delivery services.
Now, with about 1,000 stores reopening their doors to dine-in customers, the company is looking to beef up its workforce as the rest of its 14,000 stores return to regular operations.
The increase in headcount will call for both full-time and part-time workers who will be trained on new health and safety precautions. In May, the company unveiled updated guidelines for dining in.
“We have implemented nearly 50 process changes in restaurants and increased training for restaurant crew. Now, as cities and states begin to ease restrictions, we are moving thoughtfully and judiciously with guidance provided by local authorities,” said Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA.
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“We are building on the processes already in place such as wellness checks, social distancing floor stickers, protective barriers at order points, masks and gloves for employees with the addition of new procedures, and training for the reopening of dining rooms,” Erlinger said.
McDonald’s currently employs about 850,000 workers in the US alone, making it one of the country’s biggest private employers.
The hiring spree comes at a critical time when the US faces an unemployment rate of 13.3% as a result of massive job cuts seen at the height of the pandemic.