McDonald’s Corporation is simultaneously looking to hire as many as 375,000 employees this summer. They released this groundbreaking announcement in coordination with U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer at a conference. This ambitious hiring target would be the company’s biggest push in a number of years. That’s evidence of a deep commitment to expanding its workforce as brand leaders prepare to open 900 new domestic locations by 2027.
The announcement coincides with McDonald’s 10-year anniversary of its “Archways to Opportunity” program. This program offers tuition assistance and educational support, enabling employees to further their educational pursuits, including obtaining a high school diploma. The program has long been a pillar of McDonald’s workforce development initiatives and the company’s belief that education is the great equalizer to empower workers.
In 2020, McDonald’s of-course pledged to hire 260,000 restaurant employees. Now, as it looks to hire 375,000 employees, the company is taking a bigger approach to fortifying its workforce amid fundamental changes in the labor market. The company’s historic recruitment drive is aimed at strengthening operations and service across its nearly 15,000 restaurants nationwide.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer joined the announcement. Her presence underscores the administration’s clear and unequivocal focus on creating good jobs and supporting the workforce. McDonald’s has been adamant—it isn’t a political company. The firm has declined to endorse any political candidates, despite having recently released a discussion of its brand in the political space.
The administration has added to the confusion with messaging on how companies should be dealing with the current political climate. Countering possible regulatory attacks in future from people like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushing the “Make America Healthy Again” platform plank, McDonald wants to keep these friendships and government partnerships strong. This strategy has allowed the company to dodge bad regulations that would hurt their business model.
Though the company faces an uphill battle keeping thorough employment records from as far back as the 1980s, McDonald is still confident, given its long-term growth path. The firm is manufacturing pathways for people looking to enter the workforce and expand workforce development. It wants to ensure that these efforts are attractive to existing and future employees.
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