In state, McDonald’s plans 3,500 new hires

Capitol event highlights opportunities

McDonald’s restaurants in Arkansas plan to hire more than 3,500 employees through November.

The fall hiring initiative includes what the fast-food chain said will be the first voiceinitiated application process through Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

An event Tuesday at the state Capitol was used to highlight the fast-food chain’s economic impact in Arkansas, career opportunities and Archways to Opportunity, a tuitionassistance program available to qualified employees.

“Whether it’s your first job, a part-time job or a lifelong career, working at a McDonald’s restaurant provides professional skills, education and relationships that translate to new experiences,” said Michael Retzer Jr. of Little Rock, who owns or co-owns 100 McDonald’s franchises in Arkansas.

It was unclear how many of the 3,500 openings are new jobs or filling existing openings. Starting wages are $9.25 an hour, the state’s mandated minimum wage. The minimum wage is scheduled to rise to $10 on Jan. 1 and $11 on Jan. 1, 2021.

The hiring initiative comes on the heels of a $69 million makeover of the 79-year-old chain’s 170 Arkansas locations announced last year. The changes include new dining rooms and refreshed exteriors and the installation of digital self-order kiosks and new digital menu boards inside and at the drive-thru. The restaurants also have designated parking spaces for curbside pickup for people who order and pay with their cellphones.

The chain is now turning its attention to employees by emphasizing a program that provides employees the opportunity to receive $2,500 in college tuition assistance, access to free education and career advising services, the opportunity to learn English as a second language or obtain a high school diploma, according to a news release.

The chain also is working with AARP and its foundation to provide opportunity, flexibility and resources, regardless of where employees are on their career paths.

“Now it’s time we focus on our people efforts to match these beautiful restaurants,” Retzer said at the Capitol event.

To be eligible for the Archways program, employees must work 15 hours a week for 90 days. Since Archways to Opportunity started in 2015, a total of 328 Arkansas employees have received $772,000 in tuition assistance, the news release said.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson attended the Capitol event.

“Far beyond someone’s first job, experiences like working at McDonald’s help create a pathway to success for our residents as they develop professional skills and relationships to help achieve their dreams,” Hutchinson said.

The governor said the chain’s impact in Arkansas goes beyond the employees and the restaurants at which they work, noting that McDonald’s national food delivery system purchases $677 million annually in state agricultural products.

“That’s a huge economic impact on our agriculture community,” he said.

Applicants can visit McDonald’s locations or apply online at careers.mcdonalds.com, but chain executives said they are clearly hoping to tap into new ways to get the attention of potential employees through the voice-activated application process.

“We must continue to innovate and think of creative, and in this case, groundbreaking ways to meet potential job seekers on devices they are already using, like Alexa,” David Fairhurst, McDonald’s executive vice president and chief people officer, said in a news release. “Alexa has many of the qualities we look for on our teams — friendly, responsive and fun. I am looking forward to having our application process simplified with Alexa.”