Restaurant-industry job growth remained steady through July, with food services and drinking places adding 29,300 jobs throughout the month, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This number is relatively unchanged from restaurant-industry jobs added in June, which totaled 29,900. Employment in the industry has increased by more than 376,000 jobs year to date, data from the bureau shows.
With these recent gains, the industry is on track to post job growth upwards of 3.5 percent for the fourth consecutive year, a streak that hasn’t occurred since the mid-1980s, says Bruce Grindy, chief economist for the National Restaurant Association.
Quick-service restaurants have added jobs at a rate of 3.7 percent year to date, slightly higher than the 3.5 percent rate seen at full-service establishments. Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars—including coffee, donut and ice-cream shops—grew jobs by 6.6 percent during the same six-month period.
The only included segment with shrinking job growth year to date was bars and taverns, which saw a 0.7 decrease, while growth for cafeterias and buffets remained flat.
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