More Job Growth Projected at Restaurants This Year
WASHINGTON -- The restaurant industry remained among the economy's leaders in job creation in 2013, and the trend is expected to continue this year, The National Restaurant Association says.
Serving people who eat and drink outside their residences -- the primary component of the restaurant industry that accounts for roughly three-fourths of their workforce -- added jobs at a 3.7% last year.
"The solid 2013 performance represented the strongest gain since a 3.9% jump in 1995 and came on the heels of a 3.5% increase in restaurant jobs in 2012," commented Bruce Grindy, chief economist for the National Restaurant Association, in a prepared statement. "Taken together, 2012 and 2013 represented the first time in nearly two decades that the restaurant industry posted back-to-back gains above 3%.
In comparison, total U.S. employment rose 1.7% in 2013, or two percentage points below the increase seen by resyaurangts and bars, he continued.
Job growth within the restaurant industry was broad-based in 2013, with several major segments registering strong gains, Grundy reported. Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, including coffee, doughnut and ice cream shops, set the pace with a 5.8% gain. Quick-service restaurants (4.5%), table-service restaurants (3.4%) and food-service contractors (3.3%) also added jobs at rates well above the economy.
"Job growth in the restaurant industry is projected to remain strong, albeit somewhat slower than the torrid pace registered in 2013," Grundy noted. "The National Restaurant Association expects restaurants to add jobs at a 2.8% rate in 2014, a full percentage-point above the projected 1.8% gain in total U.S. employment."
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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