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Franchisors in the fast-food industry can’t hire workers fast enough as the U.S. economy <a href="https://1851franchise.com/restaurants-fuel-blowout-jobs-report-stocks-surge-2715409">begins to recover</a> from pandemic lockdowns and <a href="https://1851franchise.com/covid-19-stimulus-checks-when-to-expect-them-and-how-much-2714601">stimulus checks,</a> and increased unemployment insurance payouts <a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-the-19-trillion-covid-19-bill-will-impact-restaurants-2715210">spike demand</a> while incentivizing some workers to stay home.&nbsp;The U.S. added 280,000 jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry in March, but even that pace fell short of meeting the industry’s needs, according to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taco-bell-hiring/taco-bell-to-hire-5000-workers-at-april-job-fair-idUSKBN2BT1N0?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=fast-food-franchises-face-nightmare-worker-shortage-2715431" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">new report from Reuters</a>.&nbsp;Taco Bell plans to hire at least 5,000 employees on April 21, when it will hold spot interviews in the parking lots of more than 2,000 of its stores.&nbsp;“It’s no secret that the labor market is tight,” <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-mcculloch-b33901/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=fast-food-franchises-face-nightmare-worker-shortage-2715431" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Kelly McCulloch</a>, Taco Bell’s chief people officer, said in a statement.But the U.S.’s unemployment rate currently sits at 6%, almost double what it was pre-pandemic. Among teenagers, the unemployment rate more than <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/15-an-hour-minimum-wage-could-further-sting-teen-employment-11616837401?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=fast-food-franchises-face-nightmare-worker-shortage-2715431" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">doubles to 13.9%</a>.&nbsp;FAT Brands Inc. CEO <a href="https://ir.fatbrands.com/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/person-details/default.aspx?ItemId=368f3587-af0b-4386-b8e9-89f9d683feaa&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=fast-food-franchises-face-nightmare-worker-shortage-2715431" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Andy Wiederhorn</a> told Reuters that staffing for his company’s franchisees had become a “total nightmare.”&nbsp;"The most recent stimulus check and unemployment benefits have been a catalyst for people to stay at home,” he said.But, the fast-food industry’s struggle to hire workers could just be a sign of a return to normal. The industry struggled with staffing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/upshot/fast-food-jobs-teenagers-shortage.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=fast-food-franchises-face-nightmare-worker-shortage-2715431" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">even before the pandemic</a>, and many fast-food chains have begun paying more than minimum wage to attract and retain talent.

Fast Food Franchises Face ‘Nightmare’ Worker Shortage

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The unemployment rate is nearly double what it was 18 months ago, but the pandemic has incentivized workers to stay home.

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