MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay–Arcos Dorados (NYSE: ARCO), the world’s largest independent McDonald’s franchisee, announced that it expects to employ more than 55,000 individuals in Latin America and the Caribbean during 2019, an increase of 8% over the number employed in 2018.
The Company is positioned as a catalyst for change through its commitment to labor inclusion and reduction of inequality for young people. Arcos Dorados is one of the region’s largest formal employers of youth between the ages of 17 to 25, providing training and development opportunities.
“We are proud to be among the companies that generate the most formal job opportunities for young people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It is young people in whom we entrust our business to bring quality food, flavor and extraordinary dining experiences to millions of customers in the region every day,” said Sergio Alonso, Chief Executive Officer of Arcos Dorados.
In 2018, Arcos Dorados provided 52,000 jobs for young people throughout the region. This represents almost 4,500 youth per month who entered the workforce, or an average of 140 jobs per day. The Company provides opportunities to learn norms and methodologies of teamwork in a highly challenging environment, valuable skills that contribute to securing future professional development opportunities.
Over the last three years, Arcos Dorados provided approximately 150,000 employment opportunities for young people. For many of them, the experience was their first in the workplace.
Arcos Dorados’ commitment to work inclusion is supported by partnerships with prestigious institutions in the region that are also dedicated to helping young people formally integrate into the working world. The Company signed agreements in recent years with the primary foundations dedicated to eradicating youth unemployment in each country of the region, including Instituto Ayrton Senna (Brazil), Cimientos (Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay), Forge (Chile, Peru), NEO (Colombia) and the International Youth Foundation (Global), among others.
“At Arcos Dorados, through public-private partnerships, we contribute to the development of our communities by attacking one of the region’s main social challenges, youth unemployment. Through our programs, we assume the responsibility of actively collaborating to reduce the barriers to access a first formal job, ” said Alonso.
Arcos Dorados has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work Institute in several of the markets where it operates, such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay. The Company has also been recognized for its work practices by different independent auditing institutions for organizational climate.
Among the reasons cited for receiving these important recognitions, Arcos Dorados provides its employees an excellent working environment, time flexibility, continuous training and career advancement. Annually, the Company invests millions of dollars in training its employees in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Importantly, Arcos Dorados promotes the inclusion of vulnerable groups, offering them an opportunity for formal work that contributes to their development and independence and supports greater social integration. “All are welcome at Arcos Dorados. We promote a culture of work that is characterized by respect, inclusion and equal opportunities. We provide adequate training and career development to all young people in the countries where we operate and are committed to furthering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of reducing inequality,” concluded Alonso.
