Feature

Even McDonald's says McDonald's employees need a second job

A new budgeting tool from the fast-food chain shows employees can't live off their wages alone

McDonald's, partnering with VISA, has released a not-at-all patronizing budget journal to help employees better navigate the waters of minimum-wage living.

The takeaway? Get another job.

Despite some absurdly deflated numbers — like $20 per month for health insurance — the budget journal acknowledges that it's virtually impossible to live off of the fast food chain's wages, which could be a problem for a company that has recently seen a string of highly publicized strikes in New York City. In addition, corporate giants like Walmart have recently come under scrutiny for allegedly failing to provide its employees with a living wage, which has become an urgent issue as American workers increasingly rely on part-time jobs to get by.

The McDonald's budget expects employees to earn $955 a month at a second job, to supplement the $1,105 earned at McDonald's. On average, McDonald's employees earn $8.25 an hour. Factoring in taxes, employees would need to work full-time to earn the $1,105 per month outlined in the budget, plus an additional 30 hours per week to earn $955.

In other words, without another source of income it would be pretty much impossible to get by on a McDonald's salary, even by the stringent standards outlined by the budget — which, by the way, doesn't account for heating or groceries.

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