Amazon, McDonald’s, and other Big Companies Get Creative in Luring New Workers
The Labor shortage is biting hard on the American economy and companies regardless of their sizes are feeling it. Big companies like McDonald’s, JBS, Amazon, as well as major hotels and restaurants are feeling the heat of the crisis brought about by the widespread shortage of labor since the pandemic began.
Workers lacked the incentive to work during the pandemic because of the various unemployment benefits paid to workers during the pandemic. Now that the pandemic is slowly going away and states are halting the payment of benefits, workers are as reluctant as ever to return to work. Immigration restrictions and poor pay has caused a shortage of available workers in various sectors of the economy. Big companies are looking for a way out of the situation of scarcity of workers, and their response is signified by their inclusion of many perks like free accommodation, free tuition, and phones in the package they offer to new hires.
Some other organizations are even rewarding people who simply attend their interviews. This response by companies has become crucial to avoiding reduced production as a result of labor shortages.
Scramble for Labor and Effect of Labor Shortage on the Economy
This shortage of labor doesn’t affect the organizations that hire them alone. It affects the entire economy at once as post-pandemic economic recovery is slowed down as a result of declining production caused by a labor shortage.
Companies in various industries, from healthcare to technology to hospitality, are now prioritizing attracting new workers with various perks. The organizations are all scrambling for workers at the same time as the economy heads for recovery post-pandemic.
Companies employing Different Strategies
As a result of necessity, companies have gotten creative with their methods of luring workers. They offer different incentives including debt-free education perks and benefits, free lodging at hotels, free phones, and increased wages. One of these companies is even extending education benefits to the immediate family members of its workers.
Some hotels on the other hand are offering free lodging to workers so they don’t have to worry about accommodation while they work there for the summer. Restaurants meanwhile are giving trainees the chance to meet and interact with executive chefs. This they say is to get the attention of the trainees.
The list of perks and benefits goes on and on, with some employers also using sign-up bonuses to lure workers. Workers that sign up on company websites are now being offered bonuses as high as $2000 in some cases, with some offering higher perks for senior recruits.
Online shopping giant, Amazon is not left out either. Amazon is also using bonuses to attract labor, as the company plans to employ tens of thousands of transport and warehouse workers. Lower wages are now being right as workers refuse to accept jobs that pay low wages. Companies simply have to pay more now than they did pre-pandemic.
