Young people in Finland are becoming less inclined to work in fast food restaurants, especially after the widely-reported mistreatment of employees at Hesburger chains, according to Markus Kutvonen, chair of the student branch of the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees STTK.

The complaints about Hesburger came to light in August this year, detailing issues such as chronic under-staffing, employees having to work for 10 hours without breaks and having to work without pay.

Kutvonen said that while students value the experience they gain while working at fast food restaurants, they are also quick to move on when a new opportunity becomes available.

"There is a stigma among young people about fast food chains, that they are bad jobs, and the Hesburger scandal certainly did not help in attracting students," Kutvonen said.

The service sector union PAM has also previously said that working conditions in the industry are a big concern.

McDonald's franchisee Mika Rajamäki, who operates a series of the chain's restaurants in the Nordic region, told Yle that he does not believe the fallout from the Hesburger controversy has affected recruitment in the sector.

However, all McDonald's chains in the Ostrobothnia region - where some of Rajamäki's outlets are located - seem to have difficulty recruiting new employees. The company was looking for a total of 80 new workers in the region recently, but so far only 50 people have been hired.

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Recruitment has also been slow for KFC, which will soon open an outlet in Southern Ostrobothnia following the inauspicious launch of the chain's first restaurant in Finland last week.

Conducive for studying

Fast food chains usually employ young people, so in theory there should be few obstacles to finding willing workers. A Statistics Finland report from 2019 showed that at least half of students over the age of 18 worked in addition to their studies.

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Furthermore, according to STTK's Kutvonen, many students consider it an advantage that they can work in fast food restaurants without much training or experience. The hours also tend to be conducive to working part-time alongside studying.

Rajamäki told Yle that his outlets have numerous employees who want to do only one shift or at most two per week.

"Hiring full-time staff would make it easier to make shift lists, but we can also be very flexible. There are extensive opening hours and large volumes, allowing us to provide many hours of work for a large number of employees," Rajamäki said.

"Unrealistic" expectations

According to Rajamäki, the high staff turnover in fast food restaurants is mostly due to the age and life circumstances of the employees.

In McDonald's, for example, the average employee is between 18 and 20 years old and not looking to launch a career in the fast food industry.

STTK student chair Kutvonen however pointed out that many young people get their first employment experience at fast food chains, and this can help to provide a foundation for the rest of their working lives.

He added that some younger people may also have unrealistic perceptions of the work and especially pay.

A survey of young people commissioned by STTK in autumn last year revealed that the 'coronavirus summer' of 2020 had a significant effect on the availability of summer jobs, but also found that respondents considered salary to be the most important aspect of the job.

Katri Lehto, Director of Southern Ostrobothnia's TE-offices (Employment and Economic Development Offices), told Yle that working during studies is part of the culture of the local region, but students may also be motivated to obtain part-time jobs because of the lack of study grants and benefits.

"By working, young people try to cover the costs of renting and living, and also to possibly avoid having to take out a student loan," Lehto said.