The unemployment rate seems to have stabilized, but it’s still hard out here for job seekers. Even formerly reliable part-time jobs like fast food service work seem to be disappearing, according to one disappointed TikToker.
Don’t tell people with money problems to just “Get a job,” TikToker Kathrine George (@kathrine_george) tells her viewers in a video posted Dec. 13. “It is so much harder,” according to the video’s caption. The TikTok has 498,000 views and counting as of publication.
“I have a job waiting for me in Nova Scotia,” she told her viewers. “That is a hard labor job that pays $18 an hour and has benefits. I still need a second job,” she continued, explaining that she needs more money to attend college.
“I just called 32 places,” she said to the camera. “Fast food restaurants, regular restaurants, stores, hardware stores, convenience stores, gas stations—a whole array of different things. Not one of them was hiring.”
“McDonald’s wasn’t hiring!” she told her viewers exasperatedly.
But George’s biggest frustration is the online application process, which prevents people from applying in person. “If you go into the location, they throw your application out and say ‘cannot follow directions’!”
“It is not the same!” she says.
According to the worldwide employment website Indeed.com, “Some employers get overwhelmed with too many candidates and explicitly state not to apply in person. Always respect their wishes.”
On Indeed’s online forum dedicated to McDonald’s, some former employees posted that applicants will be required to fill out an online application even if they do apply in-store. The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald’s via email for a statement.
Many of George’s viewers expressed similar frustrations regarding online application practices.
Rhi (@rhianjokvonon) wrote, “I’ve been applying to part-time jobs for months. 99% of the time they just never send me anything back. I’ve gotten ONE interview and they never sent me a follow-up even though the guy said he was going to.”
@kathrine_george It is so much harder
♬ original sound – Kathrine
Another viewer noted, “Online applications make it harder too because they get so many that they might not even see yours.”
George responded, “I saw someone asking for a master [sic] degree for an entry-level assistant position.”
“Ooohh yeah I miss those days where you walked in and asked for an application and you had the chance to talk to a manager,” another person commented.
Canada, where George works, currently has a 5.8 percent unemployment rate, higher than the current U.S. rate of 3.7 percent. Many of George’s viewers stated that no one seems to be hiring despite statements to the contrary.
“‘Nobody wants to work anymore’ then I have 100+ jobs I’ve applied to in the last 6mo that said ‘urgently hiring’ and ghosted me,” wrote Olliollioxnfree (@olliollioxnfree).
Another stated, “can’t get jobs as it’s all apply online. if they saw me before my resume they’d hire me. but nope. I couldn’t get a job at any fast food chain.”
“I did 3 interviews for a gas station for them to tell me they aren’t hiring just doing interviews to keep people on the backburner if anyone suddenly quits. she said that to my face. like???” said another.
There may be some hope on the horizon. Tom Gimbel, founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, a national staffing and recruiting firm, told American business magazine Fast Company, “Three-quarters of the companies we’re working with plan to add headcount in 2024.”
However, it’s highly unlikely that companies will be moving away from the online application process.
The Daily Dot has reached out to George via TikTok for further comment.