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McDonald's to Help Young People, but Not Its Own Workers

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: August 22, 2018 10:20 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 7:00 pm

McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) wants to help 2 million people improve their job prospects through a program called “Youth Opportunity.” Apparently, the plan is not available to its own workers, and certainly not its own middle age or older workers, some of whom make barely more than the minimum wage.

McDonald’s described the program:

McDonald’s Corporation announced a new initiative called Youth Opportunity, with a global goal to reduce barriers to employment for two million young people by 2025 through pre-employment job readiness training, employment opportunities and workplace development programs. As part of this goal, McDonald’s is also joining the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), to help accelerate global efforts to tackle the youth employment challenge.

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The ILO says there are 64 million young people unemployed worldwide, a number that seems extremely small based on the global population. To combat this, David Fairhurst, McDonald’s Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, said: “Around the world, too many young people are finding that, through no fault of their own, there are barriers to entry into the workplace. We believe this needs to change.”

McDonald’s says it pays the minimum wage. However, many of its workers have protested to raise that to $15. The age issues have been a strong barrier between workers and the fast-food company for years.

Young people who take advantage of the new McDonald’s program may see their situations improve. As for most McDonald’s workers, it’s no deal at all.

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