One of the more memorable television commercials of the year, titled "The New Kid," chronicles the experiences of an old-timer during his first day on the job at a McDonald's restaurant.
He ends the day telling his wife: "I don't know how they ever got along without me."
More "Now Hiring" signs are in evidence at some businesses, and more near- and past-retirement-age men and women are responding. And as the television commercial reveals, fast-food outlets are among the businesses interested in hiring them.
Historically, most fast-food chains have offered entry-level employment, usually at minimum wage, and most recruitment programs have been directed to teen-agers.
Times have changed--so have demographics.
"The basic fact of life in America is that the teen-age labor pool is decreasing," said Jo Hutcherson, spokeswoman for the Burger King Corp. in Miami. "We have been using seniors for several years now, and the emphasis is increasing."
Hutcherson also pointed out that seniors offer such advantages as not having conflicts with school schedules and probably no longer have growing children to keep in mind.
Another advantage, according to Robert Reid, professor of hotel management at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., is that the accident rate for workers older than 65 is "virtually half" that for workers in their early 20s.
"We are finding that older employees bring a lot of advantages with them," said Paul Raab, manager of communications with Wendy's International Inc., in Dublin, Ohio. "They have experience in dealing with people, patience and reliability. We find they have a steadying influence on our younger workers."
Cyril F. Brickfield, executive director of the American Assn. of Retired Persons in Washington, said:
"We are working hard in cooperation with the business community to eliminate stereotypes about older workers.
". . . Companies realize that their attrition rate and sick days are no worse than those of younger workers."
In July, a two-day "Experience at Work" conference was held in Washington, sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. and presented by the American Assn. of Retired Persons and National Restaurant Assn.
A survey of 140 executives of fast-food and full-service industries in attendance concluded that firms that hire seniors are happy they did so.
Donald E. Doyle, president of Kentucky Fried Chicken, said: "There is definitely a supply-demand crunch coming" because of past reliance by the fast-food industry on younger workers.
Compounding the problem, Burger King's Hutcherson said, is the fact that the number of such outlets is increasing.
In agreement was Ann Connolly, media relations supervisor at McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. She reported McDonald's opens a new restaurant about every 17 hours, somewhere in the world--"a lot of job opportunities."
And some older folks are interested in working only a few hours a day, Connally said, and can be hired for specific tasks--making biscuits in the morning, for instance.
One fast-food outlet that apparently hasn't thus far found it necessary to join the trend is Jack-in-the-Box.
Continuing Influx of Young
"The demographics say the population continues to move westward, and we have benefited from the continuing influx of young people," said Robert L. Jones, vice president for human resources of the San Diego-based company. "We aren't, however, turning our back on the possibility of seeking seniors."
So far, though, the work force of Jack-in-the-Box has been stabilizing.
"Our work force among hourly workers had been running at an annual turnover rate as high as 250% per position, but of late it has gotten down to 220%," Jones said.
In discussing seniors in the work force--particularly in fast-food outlets--Jones said: "Our business is fast-paced, a lot of hours standing on the feet, and usually, for beginners, to earn the minimum wage. Experienced workers make more."
A bigger problem than coping with what some have found to be a lower labor pool of teens, he said, has been finding workers in affluent suburban areas.
"In places such as, say, Marin County, a lot of people won't work for the minimum wage," he said. "In some places we have to actively recruit, knocking on doors, putting bag-stuffers in takeout orders, and even bringing in workers from outlying areas."
Since last year, however, another employer, Wells Fargo Bank, has been engaged in a program to actively seek out older citizens as hourly, part-time tellers.
"They are reliable, flexible and prefer not to work full-time," said Larry Crabtree, vice president and manager of the 14 Wells Fargo banks in the Los Angeles district.
Crabtree said they are paid about $7 an hour during the two-week training cycle, then can make as much as $10 an hour.
Statistics confirm the demographic change mentioned by many of the fast-food executives.
In 1981, according to Steve Haugen, economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, the labor force in the 16-19 age range totaled almost 9 million. By last year--five years later--the total for that same group had dropped to 7.9 million.
By contrast, between those same years, the labor force of people 65 and older remained stable. In 1981, the total was 3.04 million and last year it was 3.01 million.