McJob
a low-paying job that requires little skill
TRANSLATION
McJob = schlecht bezahlter, ungesicherter Arbeitsplatz --- GOOGLE INDEX McJob: approximately 1,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Many economists will argue that concern about the lowly McJOB is misplaced. These jobs offer a wage to people with no training or education.
(New York Times)
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Obama's Recovery Is Built On McJOBS
(www.news.investors.com)
(New York Times)
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Obama's Recovery Is Built On McJOBS
(www.news.investors.com)
Did you
know?
McJob
noun, slang
- a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
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The expression McJob first surfaced in the U.S. in the 1980s to describe low-skilled jobs in the service sector, mainly in the fast food industry. The term was popularised by Canadian writer Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel Generation X.
The Oxford English Dictionary decided to enter the word in their online version in 2001. This ignited a protest from McDonald's executive management, with then CEO Jim Cantalupo complaining that the term is "a slap in the face" for anyone who worked in the restaurant and catering business.
All of the major English dictionaries list the expression. Even Germany's authoritative Duden lexicon has an entry, albeit with a hyphen (Mc-Job).
In 2006 McDonald's launched a McAd campaign in an effort to combat its McImage. It released the McSlogan: "McProspects - over half of our executive team started in our restaurants. Not bad for a McJob."
Despite pleas from the company to omit the entry, dictionary publishers like Oxford refused to remove the word. In the end, the various dictionaries and McDonalds got free publicity and the dispute turned out more or less to be a McFuss.
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation:
"I worked a McJob to help pay my way through college."
noun, slang
- a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
---
The expression McJob first surfaced in the U.S. in the 1980s to describe low-skilled jobs in the service sector, mainly in the fast food industry. The term was popularised by Canadian writer Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel Generation X.
The Oxford English Dictionary decided to enter the word in their online version in 2001. This ignited a protest from McDonald's executive management, with then CEO Jim Cantalupo complaining that the term is "a slap in the face" for anyone who worked in the restaurant and catering business.
All of the major English dictionaries list the expression. Even Germany's authoritative Duden lexicon has an entry, albeit with a hyphen (Mc-Job).
In 2006 McDonald's launched a McAd campaign in an effort to combat its McImage. It released the McSlogan: "McProspects - over half of our executive team started in our restaurants. Not bad for a McJob."
Despite pleas from the company to omit the entry, dictionary publishers like Oxford refused to remove the word. In the end, the various dictionaries and McDonalds got free publicity and the dispute turned out more or less to be a McFuss.
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation:
"I worked a McJob to help pay my way through college."
