Restaurants are expected to add 448,000 jobs this summer season, a 4.5 percent increase over the March 2013 employment level, according to National Restaurant Association (NRA) projections. The projected gain represents an improvement over the 2012 summer season.
“Summer is the busiest season for restaurants in most parts of the country, and the stronger business leads to additional employment opportunities at all levels of a restaurant operation,” says Bruce Grindy, chief economist for the NRA. “The projected addition of 448,000 summer restaurant jobs will be driven by a national economy that continues to improve, as well as consumers’ pent-up demand for restaurant services that remains at historically high levels.”
Nationally, eating and drinking places added 427,200 jobs during the 2012 summer season, 465,400 jobs during the 2011 summer season, and 427,100 jobs during the 2010 summer season. The restaurant industry is usually the nation’s second-largest creator of summer jobs, ranking only behind the construction industry.
“In many states with tourism-driven economies, restaurants satisfy both tourists’ cravings for food, as well as job-seekers’ hunger for employment,” Grindy says.
The states projected to add the most eating and drinking place jobs during the 2013 summer season are California (41,700), New York (40,700), Massachusetts (29,000), Texas (22,000), New Jersey (21,900), Michigan (21,200), Ohio (21,000), and Illinois (20,000).
The states projected to register the largest proportional employment increase during the 2013 summer season are Maine (31.2 percent increase), Alaska (22.5 percent increase), Delaware (16.8 percent increase), and Rhode Island (15.6 percent increase).
Complete state-by-state 2013 projections, plus a national 10-year review, of restaurant summer employment can be found on the NRA’s website.
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 2013 summer employment and the March 2013 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.
