Oregon McDonald’s trying to hire 14-year-olds due to ‘staffing issues’

An Oregon McDonald’s displayed a banner asking 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds to apply for work because of “staffing issues.”

Heather Coleman, the Medford McDonald’s restaurant’s operator, explained that raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour didn’t attract many new applicants. But lowering the hiring age to 14 brought in some 25 applicants in two weeks, she said.

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“There are always staffing issues, but this is unheard of,” Coleman said, adding that the young employees have been “a blessing in disguise.”

“They have the drive and work ethic,” she said. “They get the technology. They catch on really quickly.”

Other fast-food chains are following suit. The Texas chicken chain Layne’s Chicken Fingers is promoting teenagers into management and reportedly paying salaries of around $50,000 annually.

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“We’re so thin at leadership that we can’t stretch anymore to open more locations,” CEO Garrett Reed told the Wall Street Journal. “I’ve got a good crop of 16- and 17-year-olds, but I need another year or two to get them seasoned to run stores.”

A Burger King in Ohio reportedly posted a sign looking to hire 14-year-olds.

“Do you have a 14 or 15 year old?” the sign read. “Do they need a job?? We will hire them!”