NEW YORK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - U.S. restaurant employment reached pre-pandemic levels in September for the first time in three-and-a-half years, according to a report released Friday, signaling a potentially broader recovery for the leisure and hospitality industry.
The gains in restaurant and bar employment last month were almost double the average of 37,000 jobs added monthly over the past year.
Food service employment was among the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the food industry has picked up in payrolls, leisure and hospitality overall has struggled to regain pre-pandemic levels of employment in a tight labor market.
The hotel accommodations and the amusement and gambling services industries remain below their February 2020 employment levels, with hotel employment still 10% below where they were on the eve of the health crisis.
Persons:
”, Julie Su, Amina Niasse, Rod Nickel
Organizations:
of Labor Statistics, BLS, Employers, Labor, Workers, Thomson
Locations:
payrolls