Restaurants and bars added 28,300 jobs in March, or nearly 1 of every 10 created economywide over the four-week stretch, reinforcing the business’ claim of being a key engine of national employment, according to new federal data.
Only the healthcare industry generated more jobs, which increased overall by 303,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday morning. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8%, according to BLS.
Last month’s increase in restaurant and bar employment roughly matched the segment’s stepped-up hiring in February, which followed the elimination of 21,100 positions in January and the addition of just 5,500 jobs in December.
With March’s additions, total restaurant and bar employment currently stands at about 12.4 million, according to BLS.
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