McDonald's To Hire 50,000, Fight 'McJob' Stereotype
OAK BROOK, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) -- If you're looking for a job, McDonalds is hanging out the "help wanted" sign.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger reports, the Oak Brook-based fast food giant will hold its first national hiring day, taking applications both online and in stores on April 19.
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The company plans to fill about 50,000 jobs, from crew members to managers and corporate employees.
The new opportunities come as business improves and more McDonald's restaurants stay open 24 hours a day.
McDonald's already boasts a workforce of 600,000.
When McDonald's held a similar event in its western region last year, more than 60,000 applicants turned out for 13,000 jobs.
McDonald's social media director Rick Wion tells Crain's Chicago Business the company is trying to dispel the image and reputation of the "McJob" as a low-paying, dead-end position.
In 2003, McDonald's complained when the word "McJob" appeared in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and called it "a slap in the face to the 12 million men and women" who worked in the restaurant industry. The company also warned that the word might constitute trademark infringement, since it resembles "McJOBS," the McDonald's training program for developmentally and physically disabled people.
McDonald's also petitioned the Oxford English Dictionary to remove McJob in 1997, or have its definition changed. The OED defined McJob as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects."
Now, to combat the "McJob" stereotype, a media campaign will feature videos of employees talking about why they love their jobs at McDonald's.
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