McDonald's announced Monday that it will hire up to 375,000 workers across its 13,000 U.S. restaurants ahead of the summer rush, marking its largest seasonal employment push in five years. The announcement, made at a restaurant in Ohio alongside U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, comes as the fast-food giant prepares to open 900 new U.S. locations by 2027.
The hiring surge also coincides with mounting economic pressure on McDonald's core customer base. Same-store sales at U.S. locations fell 3.6% in the most recent quarter, the chain's worst performance since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. During an earnings call earlier this month, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said, "The economic pressure on traffic has broadened," noting that spending by both low-income and middle-income consumers had declined nearly by double digits compared to a year ago.
Although McDonald's employs roughly 800,000 people in its U.S. operations, the new hiring initiative won't substantially raise that figure due to the industry's chronically high turnover rates. Fast-food chains often cycle through staff rapidly, and McDonald's, like competitors Chipotle and Wendy's, must staff up seasonally to meet increased demand.
Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald's USA, said Monday that investing in employees is both economically and socially beneficial. It makes the company "more competitive while also positively impacting the economic and social conditions of the communities where we do business," Erlinger stated.
The Monday event also marked the 10-year anniversary of McDonald's "Archways to Opportunity" program, which offers tuition assistance and educational resources for employees seeking high school diplomas or college credit. Secretary Chavez-DeRemer, who attended the event, has been a key figure for the industry on labor matters, previously holding private meetings with McDonald's and other fast-food executives ahead of President Donald Trump's inauguration.
McDonald's has maintained close ties with the Trump administration during his second term. The company contributed $1 million to Trump's second inauguration and has been actively engaged on labor policy issues such as joint employer rules and unionization legislation.
Hiring 375,000 workers stands out in the current economic context. The U.S. economy added just 177,000 jobs in April, and the national unemployment rate remains low at 4.2%. McDonald's 2020 hiring effort, by contrast, aimed to fill 260,000 roles as it reopened dining rooms following pandemic shutdowns.
