In Medford, Oregon, the desperation for workers is growing as a McDonald's location announced via a massive banner that they will now hire 14- and 15-year-olds.
The sign has seemed to work as well, with more than 25 new applications being filled out in two weeks, according to the restaurant operator, Heather Coleman, Insider reported
"There are always staffing issues, but this is unheard of," Coleman said to Insider.
Coleman shared that she had recently raised the store's minimum wage to $15 per hour, but it did not lure much attention for new applicants.
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In the state of Oregon, anyone over the age of 14 can legally work, but 14- and 15-year-olds cannot work during school hours and can only do a maximum of three hours on any school day, according to the state's Bureau of Labor and Industries. On non-school days they are also limited to a maximum eight-hour shift.
Coleman's family has operated the McDonald's location for 40 years now, and the family has never had problems hiring new workers. But, with the nationwide labor shortage, Coleman is seeing something she never has before.
In July, the U.S. added almost a million jobs as unemployment dropped to 5.4 percent in the month. However, 8.7 million people were still unemployed, a large chunk higher than the 5.7 million unemployed before the pandemic in February 2020.
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Another factor hurting Coleman is the hit that the pandemic took on the leisure and hospitality industries. While they have seen the most significant hiring gains in recent weeks, they still are not close to their pre-pandemic levels, The New York Post reported.
On Friday, the August jobs report will be released. Unfortunately, it will not include data from the expiration of the federal unemployment benefits program. Still, it will give a look into whether labor recovery slowed last month following the new spike in COVID-19 cases.