Restaurant Jobs Growth Double Overall Growth

Restaurant industry jobs grew twice as fast as general employment in the 12 months ending June, according to an analysis by the National Restaurant Association released July 6.  Eating and drinking place employment grew by 2.7% for the 12 months ending June 2012, nearly double the 1.3% increase in U.S. employment for the same period, the NRA said.

The association claims more than 575,000 jobs have been added by the industry since employment began recovering in March 2010. The group said current industry staffing levels stand 193,000 above the pre-recession peak. The restaurant industry employs nearly 13 million people and is the second-largest private-sector employment sector, the group reported.

“While the restaurant industry is not immune to the ups and downs of the overall economy,” says NRA Pres. and CEO Dawn Sweeney, “our industry has continually been at the forefront of job creation for the last two years.”