McDonald’s Philippines renews partnership with DOLE

MANILA, Philippines — Fastfood chain McDonald’s Philippines has renewed its commitment to generating employment for Filipino students through its partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In a statement yesterday, McDonald’s Philippines said the renewed partnership was formalized last July 14, with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the collaborative implementation of the special program for the Employment of Students (SPES).

McDonald’s first partnered with DOLE for SPES back in 2011 to employ working students, out-of-school youth, and dependents of displaced workers.

Through the partnership, the fastfood chain has given employment opportunities to more than 16,000 underprivileged youth to fulfill their education while gaining actual work experience.

This year, the company aims to renew that commitment by pledging its target of 1,441 beneficiaries of the SPES for 2023.

“As we open more McDonald’s stores across the country, we see to it that as our business grows, so does our positive impact in the communities we are present in,” McDonald’s Philippines managing director Margot Torres said.

“We continue to partner with government institutions like DOLE to help us offer quality employment for Filipinos who will not only receive an opportunity to earn but also gain life-long skills from the world-class training we offer,” she added.

Apart from its partnership with DOLE, the company has also partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) for its Alternative Workforce Program that offers work-based training positions for 5,000 unemployed and out-of-school youth through YouthWorksPH, providing beneficiaries with financial knowledge, skills, and access to resources necessary to effectively manage finances through adulthood.

As one of the biggest employers in the country, McDonald’s Philippines stays true to its mission of generating jobs and providing fair employment to all. A steadfast advocate of diversity and equality, McDonald’s fosters a happy and inclusive environment for Filipinos from all walks of life regardless of race, age, gender, or sexual orientation, to allow them to thrive to their best selves,” the company said.

Last month, McDonald’s Philippines said it would  hire over 20,000 more employees as it continues to open more stores all over the country.

“With every new store that we open, we are able to provide employment opportunities in local communities where the store is located. We directly hire all our people and do not practice contractualization. This has always been the way we hire our people since our chairman, Dr. George T. Yang opened the first McDonald’s in the Philippines in Morayta, Manila in 1981 – and it is something that we will continue to do,” McDonald’s Philippines president and CEO Kenneth Yang said earlier.

“We believe that if our people working in the restaurants have job security first, it will allow them to focus and do well in their job of serving our customers,” Yang said.