Restaurants expected to add half-million summer jobs
Source: NRA
June 8, 2015
Driven by an improving economy, dampened gas prices and consumers’ elevated levels of pent-up demand, restaurants are expected to add 522,000 jobs this summer season. The projected 2015 gain would represent the third consecutive year in which restaurants add at least 500,000 jobs during the summer season, according to the NRA’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy. His Economist’s Notebook commentary and analysis appears regularly on Restaurant.org and Restaurant TrendMapper.
Restaurants are expected to add 522,000 jobs this summer season, according to National Restaurant Association’s 17th Annual Eating and Drinking Place Summer Employment Forecast. The projected 2015 gain would represent the third consecutive year in which restaurants add at least 500,000 jobs during the summer season.
The positive summer hiring outlook is driven by an improving economy, dampened gas prices and consumers’ elevated levels of pent-up demand for restaurants. Eating and drinking places added a record 551,200 summer jobs during the 2013 summer season, followed by 535,900 jobs during the 2014 season.
The states projected to add the most eating and drinking place jobs during the 2015 summer season are New York (46,600), California (44,400), Massachusetts (29,200), Texas (26,500), New Jersey (24,400), Ohio (23,500), Illinois (20,900) and Michigan (20,800).
The states projected to register the largest proportional employment increase during the 2015 summer season are Maine (33.5 percent increase), Alaska (20.2 percent increase), Delaware (16.5 percent increase), New Hampshire (15.2 percent increase) and Rhode Island (15.2 percent increase).
Due to the fact that their busiest seasons for travel and tourism are not in the summer months, two states are projected to register declines in eating and drinking place employment during the 2015 summer season: Florida (-10,600) and Arizona (-6,900).
Summer employment is defined as the average number of eating and drinking place jobs in June, July and August. The number of summer jobs is the difference between the projected total 2015 summer employment and the March 2015 employment level. Generally, the U.S. restaurant industry begins to ramp up its summer seasonal hiring in April, and it peaks in June, July and August. Eating and drinking places account for approximately three-fourths of the total restaurant and foodservice workforce.
The restaurant industry is typically the nation’s second largest creator of seasonal jobs during the summer months – ranking only behind the construction industry.
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