McDonald's® Canada's West Hiring Day Aims to Bring 580 New Jobs to Albertans

September 14: Sixth multi-province hiring blitz seeks 1,700 new hires across the West

EDMONTON, Sept. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - This Wednesday, September 14, McDonald's Canada and its franchisees will open their doors with plans to hire 580 new employees across Alberta and the Northwest Territories, as part of their West Hiring Day. A highly-anticipated annual event, the multi-province hiring day aims to bring a total 1,700 new positions across Western Canada.

West Hiring Day reflects McDonald's ongoing commitment to provide meaningful employment opportunities to Canadians of all ages. The recently released Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada measured a nationwide unemployment rate of 7.0 per cent, and an even-higher provincial rate of 8.4 per cent.*

"At McDonald's Canada, we are proud to serve our guests quality food and a first-class hospitality experience in our restaurants every day. We are dedicated to providing the people of our community with world-class training and career development opportunities," said Shelly Hansen, Western Regional Vice President, McDonald's Canada. "West Hiring Day is about growing our passionate teams in the West. Whether you're a young adult looking for your first job, or a more seasoned professional looking to develop your skills, we welcome you, and your career ambitions, through our restaurant doors."

Participating restaurants will seek to fill crew, manager and new Guest Experience Leader positions at participating restaurants in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories. It also comes just a few months after National Hiring Day in April, which saw McDonald's hire more than 8,900 new employees across the country.

"Together with fellow franchisees, we're creating new employment opportunities across Alberta," says Edmonton Franchisee Chat Sangha.  "West Hiring Day has become a welcome occasion for so many Canadians to discover new opportunities with exceptional training and development. With the addition of the Guest Experience Leader positions, we are excited to provide staff with relevant experience and skills that set the foundation for future success and careers. Some people call them 'soft skills'. We call them Skills For Life."

West Hiring Day invites job-seekers to apply in-restaurant and learn more about local restaurant opportunities. Applicants visiting the restaurant that day will have the benefit of a possible on-the-spot interview by a member of the restaurant management team.

Believing in today's youth
McDonald's Canada hires employees of all ages, but of the company's nearly 90,000 Canadian employees, almost 65 per cent are young people between the ages of 15 and 24. McDonald's is committed to providing competitive wages, comprehensive benefits and flexible schedules that can help youth achieve a work-life balance while setting them up for success and skills for life in their future careers.

Candidates that are looking for local restaurant career opportunities, but unable to apply in-person can go to www.McDonalds.ca/Careers to apply online.

About McDonald's Canada
In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day.  Together with our franchisees, we proudly employ nearly 90,000 people from coast-to-coast and approximately 85 per cent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, more than 85 per cent is purchased from suppliers in Canada. For more information on McDonald's Canada visit McDonalds.ca.

* Source: Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada as of August 2016: The full report is available here.

SOURCE McDonald's Canada

Danielle Jang, McDonald's Canada, [email protected], 604-293-4849; Colleen Dunbar, Weber Shandwick, [email protected], 604-283-1361