Is there no such thing as a bad job in a recession?
In a recent article for The Times, Steve Easterbrook, Chief Executive of McDonalds UK, argues that youngsters must drop their prejudices against ‘low-skill’ jobs – and that companies must help bridge the work-education divide.
Office for National Statistics data shows 18 to 24 year olds bearing the brunt of unemployment, which is running at 16.1% in this age group. Economists predict there will be more than 1 million unemployed under-25s by September, and in just over a month hundreds of thousands of teenagers getting their A Level results will face the toughest battle for a university place in years.
UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, suggests that, if the current trend in applications continues, as many as 50% fewer places will be available. In 2008, almost 44,000 students were accepted via Clearing. This year, that is expected to plummet to as few as 16,000.
Even more competition for jobs is anticipated, with employers able to up their entry requirements. Employers have more experienced or qualified candidates to choose from – creating a bottleneck for young people trying to enter the workplace.
In the case of McDonalds, they are receiving more than 2,000 applications per day, offering jobs to around 140.
This 14 to 1 ratio compares favourably to those recently reported in the Sun:
Jobseekers per vacancy
| Metal Worker |
395 |
| Factory Processor |
225 |
| Air Hostess |
238 |
| Bricklayer |
150 |
| Plasterer |
127 |
| Carpenter |
96 |
| Shelf Stacker |
71 |
Figures reveal intense competition for jobs, especially lower skilled jobs. McDonalds still have a young workforce (more than half under 21), but in many other sectors young people are finding it increasingly difficult to compete.
Steve Easterbrook suggests that school and college leavers may have to scale back their expectations for now and be more open minded about the labour market. He says that McDonalds have always been comfortable that many people join them as a stepping stone to another job and states that, even in so-called ‘low-skilled’ jobs “you learn valuable disciplines such as timekeeping, customer service and people skills. There is no such thing as a bad job; every job has something to offer”.
He goes on to say that McDonalds try to select employees based on their qualities and potential, rather than qualifications and experience that they develop their staff and try to grow their own managers. Nine out of ten of McDonalds managers started as hourly paid crew members and Steve Easterbrook encourages other businesses to look at an approach. A recent study has found a positive impact on the social mobility of the workforce and he argues that this is good for the long-term health of the economy as well as young people who gain practical, transferable skills.