The industry added 27,200 positions during the month, out of 50,000 total nationwide

New data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday morning shows that 50,000 positions were added to the United States economy in December, which was markedly lower than the Dow Jones estimate of 73,000 jobs. However, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, versus the 4.5% forecast and the 4.6% rate registered in November, when the economy added 64,000 jobs.

Restaurants and bars generated well over half of December’s added jobs, increasing their work force by more than 27,000.

Many of these positions could be attributable to seasonal hiring upticks, as the holidays tend to be a busy period for restaurants. However, the retail sector reported a decline of 25,000 positions during the month.Notably, eating and drinking establishments added just 6,800 jobs in November, well below the sector’s gain of 46,000 jobs in October and painting a murky picture of the industry’s employment landscape.

That said, December marks the sixth consecutive monthly increase in restaurant jobs. Eating and drinking places added nearly 150,000 jobs in total in 2025 despite losing nearly 66,000 jobs during the first two months of the year.
The 150,000 jobs added in 2025 were an improvement from 2024, when restaurant payrolls expanded by 129,500 jobs, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The restaurant industry has grown beyond pre-pandemic employment levels by nearly 230,000 jobs or 1.9%. The full-service segment has shown the most growth in recent months, according to the association, but remains about 3% (173,000 jobs) below February 2020 levels.

Meanwhile, the snack and non-alcoholic beverage bar segment, including coffee, doughnut, and ice cream shops, has added 205,000 jobs since February 2020, marking a staggering 25% increase. Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants are 3% higher than pre-pandemic readings.

For the full year, United States payroll increases across sectors averaged 49,000 a month, compared to 168,000 in 2024, according to the BLS.

Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com

Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso

Source https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-labor/restaurants-made-up-over-half-of-u-s-job-gains-in-december