What happens to the world’s largest food chain when the economy is doing well? Suddenly, they simply don’t have enough workers. After the Great Recession, everyone was begging for a job. But now, people have left fast food work for something that pays a bit more. In order to fill the over 250,000 vacancies, McDonalds is turning towards an unlikely source.
McDonalds just announced a way to make up for their worker shortage. They’ve decided to partner up with AARP to bring in older Americans who might be looking for work. These types of jobs include everything from managers to cashiers. AARP has a job board and will be posting these available jobs on their website.
AARP and McDonalds have also launched an initiative to bring in lower-income elderly folks and get them some work. The website will directly allow the interested parties apply for the position they want. It’s a good way to fill positions and give the struggling elderly a way to stay active and working as needed.
McDonalds and the Booming Economy
Currently, the national unemployment rate sits at 3.8%. That means there’s fewer people looking for work than in the past few decades. A larger part of that unemployed segment are elderly Americans. We continue to live longer than we ever have before. In fact, over the past decade, the number of people who are over 65 has grown tremendously.
By 2026, it’s estimated that 24.8% of the workforce will be people over the age of 55. Back in 2006, it was 16%. There are a lot of reasons why this is happening. Living longer is just one of them. Other challenges face older Americans that will keep them seeking work past retirement age.
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“People all over the country are facing challenges that are driving them back into the workforce and we need to connect them with employers that provide respect, dignity and opportunities for advancement and connection,” says Ron Painter, president of the National Association of Workforce Boards, in a press release. “It’s encouraging to see McDonald’s stepping up to the challenge.”
While a minimum wage job probably won’t solve these problems, it helps. It even has the added benefit of keeping older Americans active. That’s important for them to remain healthy in their golden years.
