Chipotle announced it is increasing employee wages, resulting in an average hourly pay of $15, as the company explores incentives to hire an additional 20,000 employees across the nation.
“Chipotle is committed to providing industry-leading benefits and accelerated growth opportunities, and we hope to attract even more talent by showcasing the potential income that can be achieved in a few short years,” Marissa Andrada, chief diversity, inclusion, and people officer at Chipotle, said in a Monday statement.
Previously, Chipotle’s average wage was around $13 per hour. The fast-casual company aims to begin paying its workers from $11 to $18 per hour by the end of June, according to a readout, and it will begin a $200 employee referral bonus and a $750 referral bonus for apprentices and general manager hiring.
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Chipotle’s plans come as the United States undergoes a tight labor market with companies across the nation. The Labor Department announced on Friday that the economy added only 266,000 jobs in April, sending unemployment up slightly from 6% to 6.1%
Other large fast-food corporations have engaged in hiring blitz strategies to satisfy the demand for filling open positions. Last month, McDonald’s held hiring events to fill 25,000 open positions in Texas, according to CNBC.
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In April, President Joe Biden‘s administration signed an order to raise wages to $15 for federal workers. In the private sector, companies such as Amazon have offered a minimum wage of $15 per hour since 2018, and in February, Costco became another large corporation to offer employees $16 per hour.
