McDonald's to hold national hiring day April 19

4,000 to be hired in Canada

Reuters — Fast-food chain McDonald’s announced a one-day spring hiring spree aimed at fighting the use of the term “McJob” as shorthand for describing low-wage, dead-end work.

The chain is planning on hiring 4,000 people in Canada on its first national hiring day, April 19, 2011, according to the Toronto Star.

The global restaurant chain plans to hire as many as 50,000 new employees in the United States — ranging from restaurant crew to managers. The move would increase the hamburger company’s U.S. workforce by 7.7 per cent to 700,000, but such hiring is typical in the lead up to the busy summer months.

“Our total hires are similar to past years, but the goal of hiring 50,000 people in one day across the U.S. is unique,” said McDonald’s spokeswoman Ashlee Yingling.

The April hiring event is preparation for the busy summer months. “But these are not just seasonal jobs. It’s a mix of permanent and temporary jobs,” she said, adding McDonald’s hourly employees typically make more than minimum wage, often more than $8 per hour.

The announcement “certainly seems like a way to attract some favourable publicity around something it was more or less going to do anyway,” said Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski.

Latest stories