DENVER — Chipotle Mexican Grill just announced its plan to hire 4,000 new employees in a single day next month.
The company will host its first-ever National Career Day on Sept. 9, stationing recruiters at every restaurant location to hold up to 60 open interviews.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the hiring binge is intended to combat the shrinking pool of fast food workers, who have been driven towards other career paths by a stronger economy and a string of minimum wage increases in cities and states nationwide.
“The economy has been thawing, more restaurants are opening, and there are fewer job applicants than there were several years ago,” Chipotle co-chief executive Monty Moran told the Journal.
Many fast food companies have responded to this issue by implementing similar programs to attract and retain workers. McDonalds and Cheesecake Factory recently increased wages and Starbucks has begun providing tuition reimbursement and financial aid to employees pursuing online bachelor’s degrees.
Chipotle currently employs about 60,000 people, and the company says that because over 95 percent of promotions are done internally, entry-level employees have plenty of opportunity for career advancement.
Candidates interested in interviewing on Sept. 9 are encouraged to register at the restaurant location of their choice on NationalCareerDay.com.