McDonalds: "What, my peon, you don't work two full time jobs?"

[Malthus]

Has it been mentioned yet that the average age of a fast food employee is now almost 30?

If you had to guess, what would you say is the average age of a fast food employee in the United States?

18? 20? Older? Younger?

The answer? 29.5.

That's right - the average age of a fast food employee in the United States is 29 1/2 years.

This is up dramatically from 2000, when the average fast food worker in the US was 22 years old. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

The fast food industry has been in the spotlight over the past week thanks to a recent hiring blitz by McDonald's. The fast food giant had a "National Hiring Day" earlier this week in which they were looking to fill 50,000 job openings.

There was a crush of applicants nationwide. People arrived early and stayed late just to interview for a position. Many locations through the country had hundreds of people lined up to apply for a position.

People from all different walks of life applied for positions at McDonald's. People with families. Older folks. Teenagers. The mass of people that applied for a "McJob" just illustrated how poor the US job market is right now.

--

Many people think that fast food jobs are primarily occupied by teenagers, but that's no longer the case.

Over the past decade, the average age of a fast food worker in the United States has surged higher, mainly because many older workers are not able to find work elsewhere. Fast food positions don't pay well, but many people just aren't able to find work anywhere else.

Source: Yahoo.com - McDonald's hiring day draws crowds, high hopes

Therein lies the problem.

No-one would care if jobs like this were, in fact, the province of pimply high school students making a bit of pocket change. To a degree, they used to be.

The problem is that now, they are often the only jobs adults who actually have to support themselves can get. And, apparently, even the chains know this - hence the goodwill gesture of attempting a sample budget for them in the OP.

The issue, I suppose, is to what extent the corporations could - or should - deal with that fact. They would no doubt argue that it is not a situation of their making and if they raise wages they have to cut jobs.

[Admiral Yi]

Excuse me if I am suspicious your data here is mostly anecdotal

[Valmy]

The issue, I suppose, is to what extent the corporations could - or should - deal with that fact. They would no doubt argue that it is not a situation of their making and if they raise wages they have to cut jobs.

Well they are right.  Anybody getting angry at McDonalds is just being absurd.  Besides they are hardly the only fast food franchise, they are not even the biggest one anymore.

[merithyn]

The issue, I suppose, is to what extent the corporations could - or should - deal with that fact. They would no doubt argue that it is not a situation of their making and if they raise wages they have to cut jobs.

Well they are right.  Anybody getting angry at McDonalds is just being absurd.  Besides they are hardly the only fast food franchise, they are not even the biggest one anymore.

McDonald's is getting flack because that pseudo-budget hit the airwaves. The strikes and demand for higher wages, however, have been from a number of fast food restaurants across the board, not just McD's.

[Valmy]

McDonald's is getting flack because that pseudo-budget hit the airwaves.

Yeah that is just embarrassing.  But, to be fair, when I was doing the crap-job thing I knew some careerists in the field and they generally worked at least 60 hours a week.  It was just a way of  life.  Of course the frustrating part is for these people is it is getting harder to even get crap jobs at McDonalds anymore, or at least as your article suggested.

[The Brain]

Many professionals work 60 hour weeks so it's not like it's a problem from a human perspective if McWorkers do so.

[Berkut]

Who said anything about wage stagnation being nothing to worry about? That is a whopper of a strawman.

You seem very certain that the market functions, or rather that the market cannot be interfered with without making things worse.

That's very close to being "unworried," but I am willing to accept that you don't feel great about it.

Huh?

What does it mean to say that the market functions? Of course it functions. It is doing things, it is functioning.

And where did I ever say that market cannot be interfered with? The market is interfered with all the time, constantly.

Adding more strawmen onto the existing burning strawman doesn't really help anything.

[Valmy]

Many professionals work 60 hour weeks so it's not like it's a problem from a human perspective if McWorkers do so.

I was merely stating that it was probably always true if you wanted to make a career working at McDonalds or other low level service work you were probably going to be working two jobs. 

[The Brain]

Many professionals work 60 hour weeks so it's not like it's a problem from a human perspective if McWorkers do so.

I was merely stating that it was probably always true if you wanted to make a career working at McDonalds or other low level service work you were probably going to be working two jobs.

I wasn't disagreeing with you.

[merithyn]

Many professionals work 60 hour weeks so it's not like it's a problem from a human perspective if McWorkers do so.

I was merely stating that it was probably always true if you wanted to make a career working at McDonalds or other low level service work you were probably going to be working two jobs.

And it would probably have to be two jobs, too, because most of those hourly crew members aren't scheduled more than 30 hours per week, to avoid having to give them benefits.

[Siege]

Oh please. Fast food jobs are temporary jobs for students.

If the economy is all fucked up and people cannot get better jobs, blame it on the Obama Administration that failed to recover the economy, not the fast food industry who had always operated at the lowest pay rate.

[Malthus]

Oh please. Fast food jobs are temporary jobs for students.

If the economy is all fucked up and people cannot get better jobs, blame it on the Obama Administration that failed to recover the economy, not the fast food industry who had always operated at the lowest pay rate.

That used to be true. Traditionally, fast-food jobs were for students.

Of course, by the same token, if you go back far enough, traditionally army jobs were for otherwise unemployable reprobates - or, as the Duke of Wellington so eloquently put it, "scum of the earth". 

[merithyn]

Oh please. Fast food jobs are temporary jobs for students.

If the economy is all fucked up and people cannot get better jobs, blame it on the Obama Administration that failed to recover the economy, not the fast food industry who had always operated at the lowest pay rate.

That used to be true. Traditionally, fast-food jobs were for students.

Of course, by the same token, if you go back far enough, traditionally army jobs were for otherwise unemployable reprobates - or, as the Duke of Wellington so eloquently put it, "scum of the earth". 

My dad was given a choice when he was 19: jail or the Army. He chose the Army.

[Eddie Teach]

Huh?

What does it mean to say that the market functions? Of course it functions. It is doing things, it is functioning.

And where did I ever say that market cannot be interfered with? The market is interfered with all the time, constantly.

Adding more strawmen onto the existing burning strawman doesn't really help anything.

So what we can take from this is that Berkut hates poor people. Ok. 

[Siege]

Huh?

What does it mean to say that the market functions? Of course it functions. It is doing things, it is functioning.

And where did I ever say that market cannot be interfered with? The market is interfered with all the time, constantly.

Adding more strawmen onto the existing burning strawman doesn't really help anything.

So what we can take from this is that Berkut hates poor people. Ok. 

Don't you?
I hate poor people.

I mean, if a dude has a disability and cannot work I'm fine with it.
I am not oppoussed to having an small safety net for disability reasons.
But I KNOW disabilited people who work hard at their small business and make a living.

Now lazy faggots living on welfare?
Fuck them.