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[Epoch Times] A McDonald’s franchise owner in Tampa, Florida, said he is paying people $50 just to show up for a job interview and is still struggling to find applicants."At this point, if we can’t keep our drive-thrus moving, then I’ll pay $50 for an interview," said Casper, who owns 60 McDonald’s restaurants around Tampa.
The Epoch Times has contacted McDonald’s for comment.
Casper said that the enhanced federal unemployment benefits that were extended after Congress passed a sweeping pandemic relief bill may be contributing to the lack of people seeking jobs. Speculating further, he said that more businesses at the moment are looking to hire.
"You’ve got a lot of people with a lot of money, and they’re out there shopping," he added. "And then, on the flip side, we’re scrambling for help."
The National Federation of Independent Business group said that a survey found that 42 percent of small businesses have said they had job openings they couldn't fill, also blaming the expanded unemployment benefits for the phenomenon.
"Owners continue to have difficulty finding qualified workers to fill jobs as they compete with increased unemployment benefits and the pandemic keeping some workers out of the labor force," according to the survey. "A net 28 percent of owners reported raising compensation (up three points) and the highest level in the past 12 months."
Thus raising the minimum wage by the back door, making small businesses pay the price, who will pass it along to the consumer, of course, contributing to inflation.