TikTok Can't Believe People Were Lining Up To Work At McDonald's
"Flipping burgers" has been the butt of many jokes over the years, but it turns out there are lots of people who would be happy to get a job at a fast food burger restaurant — especially in the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo area (also sometimes called the Tri-Cities) of Ontario, Canada. Data from Statistics Canada showed that region had one of the highest full-time employment rates in all of Canada circa 2016 (via Global News) — but these days, at least according to one TikTok user, "It's literall[y] impossible to find a job here!" Even so, they were still shocked to see what looked like hundreds of people lining up on the street outside of a McDonald's job fair in the area, early one morning.
As recently as March of 2023, Statistics Canada showed that the unemployment rate in this region was 5.9% (via CityNews Everywhere), which is just a bit over June 2023's Canadian national average unemployment rate of 5.4% — per Trade Economics. According to Business Insider, a healthy unemployment rate is between 3% and 5%, so it's true that the region where this McDonald's job fair was held is a bit off from that ideal range. Even so, many commenters on the social media post couldn't believe so many people would want to work at the fast food restaurant, which the Waterloo Region Record reported was looking for 70 new employees.
Social media users have some hot takes
In the comment section of this TikTok video, people were quick to crack jokes. "In the U.S., there is a long line just to quit Mcdonald's," one said. Another person remarked, "I drove past today and had to do a second look, wonder[ing] what concert tickets [were on] sale." Another claimed that finding work in Canada is "easy if you are a skilled worker," but others disagreed, arguing that it's "difficult for everyone now."
@cshibz Its literallt impossible to find a job here! This was before the job fair even started. People must have been lined up since 7am #mcdonalds #jobfair #kitchenerwaterloo #kitchener #ontariocanada #canada
In reality, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to mock people for trying to work there. After all, a job is a job, and someone's got to make the burgers and fries so many of us crave. And although there are a few shady things McDonald's tries to hide from its employees, not everyone complains — Canada's own Shania Twain apparently loved working at McDonald's. While it can be surprising to see so many folks lining up for what's often considered to be "unskilled" labor, it's important to remember that all jobs take skill and training, and there's no shame in trying to make money so that you can afford to live in a world where everything seems to be getting more expensive. After all, even McDonald's prices have skyrocketed over the years.