5 Ways the Restaurant Workforce is Changing
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#1: Driving middle class job growth
The restaurant industry was a driving force behind the nation’s recovery from the Great Recession. Not only are restaurants leaders in total job growth, they’re also adding middle class jobs at a stronger rate than the overall economy. During the Great Recession, that rate was four times more than the overall economy.
#2: Turnover creeps up
The bad news: Restaurant turnover is trending up. The good news: Current turnover is relatively low, compared to record highs before the economic downturn.
#3: Recruiting challenges
The competition for employees intensifies as the economy improves. More than one in four operators say they have difficult-to-fill job openings. The biggest challenge? Finding applicants for back-of-the-house.
#4: Diverse opportunities
Restaurants provide unparalleled opportunities for people of all backgrounds to own their own businesses. The number of women-owned restaurant businesses is growing at a faster rate than the overall economy, as is the number of Hispanic-, African-American-, and Asian-owned operations.
#5: There’s money in the banana stand. And jobs, apparently.
Coffee, doughnut and ice cream shops are fueling more than commuters and snack attacks. The snack-and-nonalcoholic-beverage-bar segment is had the industry's highest job growth last year.