McDonald’s on hiring spree? Burger chain to look for 375,000 US workers this summer

McDonald’s Corp. and its franchisees plan to recruit as many as 375,000 workers across the US this summer in what the burger chain says is its biggest hiring spree in years.

The Big Mac seller is gearing up to serve more customers as the weather warms up and the company expands, according to an announcement Monday. McDonald’s said in 2023 that it would open 900 US locations over the following four years. The positions aren’t intended to be seasonal or temporary.

Roughly 800,000 people work at McDonald’s restaurants. About 95% of the chain’s more than 13,500 US locations are franchised, meaning they’re run independently by operators who hire their own staff and set wages.

The hiring announcement follows a disappointing first quarter for McDonald’s, with executives pointing to consumer economic distress. Third-party data suggest that US trends have improved in April, thanks in part to the launch of a limited-time Minecraft meal.

McDonald’s estimates that about one in eight Americans have worked for the chain. More than 90,000 have gone through the Archways to Opportunity program, which offers assistance with college tuition and other types of training, since it launched 10 years ago.

The chain made the hiring announcement in a press conference alongside US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who said McDonald’s program aligns with President Donald Trump’s goal to upskill workers. The president has a goal of having 1 million active apprentices, she said.

The US restaurant industry employs more than 12.3 million people, a figure that recently rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

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