Summer to bring wave of seasonal employees to foodservice industry

According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA)’s 21st annual Eating and Drinking Place Summer Employment Forecast, foodservice establishments are expected to add around 515,000 jobs this coming season.

It’s a traditionally busy time of year for dining, as the warm weather encourages potential customers to get out and spend money. This leads to additional employment opportunities at all levels, which can come at an ideal time for many looking for seasonal or temporary employment.

The 2019 summer season is not expected to have the same seasonal job growth as in previous years, according to the NRA. In 2018, foodservice establishments added 542,000 jobs during the summer season.

The ten states projected to add the most jobs in this category during the 2019 summer season are New York (46,300), California (44,900), Massachusetts (31,800), Texas (30,900), New Jersey (29,700), Illinois (26,200), Ohio (22,300), Michigan (20,400), Maryland (18,200), and North Carolina (18,000). Meanwhile, Florida (-10,000) and Arizona (-4,900) are projected to see a decline due to their busiest seasons for travel and tourism coming outside of the summer months.

Summer employment is defined as the average number of eating and drinking place jobs in June, July, and August. The foodservice industry is the second largest creator of seasonal jobs during the summer months, only behind the construction industry.