Chipotle hikes average wage to $15 an hour amid labor squeeze

Chipotle Mexican Grill is hiking its average hourly pay to $15 as it vies for workers in an increasingly tight U.S. labor market.

The Mexican-themed food chain said Monday it would offer a starting wage of $11 to $18 an hour by the end of June. That's a starting wage increase of approximately $2 an hour, the company stated in an email, with the average wage at the chain's thousands U.S. restaurants rising to $15 an hour. As COVID-19 restrictions have faded, some employers have reported difficulty finding workers for open jobs, particularly in lower-paying frontline sectors, such as food service and retail. The need to take care of children or supervise remote schooling is keeping many workers, especially women, on the sidelines, according to experts.