In the Future, We Will All Work in Food Service

Of the 128,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs created in October, according to today’s employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 47,500 were at food services and drinking places. While that 37% share was anomalously high, the sector has been a major driver of job gains for this entire expansion. Of the 20 million new jobs created since employment bottomed out in February 2010, 3 million, or almost 14%, have been at food services and drinking places, much higher than their 8% share of employment. The restaurant employment boom seemed to be fizzling in late 2017, and definitely proceeded at a slower place for most of 2018 and earlier this year. But now it seems to be gaining strength again.

The continued rise of food services employment says something encouraging about the current business cycle. Regardless of some weakness this year in manufacturing and oil and gas, and worries that the longest-ever expansion might finally be fading, Americans in general are still going out for meals and drinks — and restaurant and bar owners are still hiring workers to serve them.