Research
March 31, 2026
Restaurant Job Openings
Restaurant and lodging job openings pulled back notably in February
Job openings in the restaurant and lodging sector slowed significantly in the latest data, declining from 991,000 in January to 780,000 in February. While the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data are often volatile from month to month, the pullback in February was quite notable, with activity down across the board. It is possible that weather might play a factor in this pullback.
At the same time, it is consistent with the larger trend of cooling in the labor market seen over much of the past year. With foodservices and accommodations jobs openings averaging 835,000 per month in the 2017 to 2019 time period, the current pace level is below pre-pandemic levels, suggesting postings have stabilized from the peaks three years ago.
Net hiring also weakened in February. Hiring fell from 927,000 in January to 749,000 in February, an 11-month low, while separations decreased from 876,000 to 775,000, a 4-month low. As such, net hiring—or hires minus separations—was -26,000 in February, a sharp pullback after being +51,000 in January.
The hiring level averaged 895,000 per month between 2017 and 2019, with separations averaging 875,000 in those pre-pandemic years. In 2025, the monthly average was 806,000 for hires and 783,000 for separations, both notably below pre-pandemic levels. These data are consistent with the softening labor market seen in other indicators.
Recent data have been consistent with the transition from the “Great Resignation” prevalent a few years ago to the current “Great Stay” period, which has been closer to pre-pandemic trends. For comparison, quits averaged 4.22 million for nonfarm payrolls and 787,000 for restaurants and lodging in 2022, when the labor market was historically tight and businesses struggled to find sufficient workers. In 2025, quits averaged 3.19 million and 620,000, respectively.
With that said, the quit rate for accommodations and foodservices have been more elevated than one might expect during the “Great Stay” period. Workers do not typically quit their jobs during times of economic uncertainty, and yet, the quit rate in the sector has averaged a somewhat elevated 4.3% over the past 12 months, peaking out at 5.5% in June of last year.
For perspective, the labor market was considerably tighter in July 2022, when job openings outnumbered unemployed individuals by 2-to-1. At that time, there were just 49.7 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings, with a surplus of more than 5.84 million job postings relative to job seekers.
At the same time, it is consistent with the larger trend of cooling in the labor market seen over much of the past year. With foodservices and accommodations jobs openings averaging 835,000 per month in the 2017 to 2019 time period, the current pace level is below pre-pandemic levels, suggesting postings have stabilized from the peaks three years ago.
Net hiring also weakened in February. Hiring fell from 927,000 in January to 749,000 in February, an 11-month low, while separations decreased from 876,000 to 775,000, a 4-month low. As such, net hiring—or hires minus separations—was -26,000 in February, a sharp pullback after being +51,000 in January.
The hiring level averaged 895,000 per month between 2017 and 2019, with separations averaging 875,000 in those pre-pandemic years. In 2025, the monthly average was 806,000 for hires and 783,000 for separations, both notably below pre-pandemic levels. These data are consistent with the softening labor market seen in other indicators.
Recent data have been consistent with the transition from the “Great Resignation” prevalent a few years ago to the current “Great Stay” period, which has been closer to pre-pandemic trends. For comparison, quits averaged 4.22 million for nonfarm payrolls and 787,000 for restaurants and lodging in 2022, when the labor market was historically tight and businesses struggled to find sufficient workers. In 2025, quits averaged 3.19 million and 620,000, respectively.
With that said, the quit rate for accommodations and foodservices have been more elevated than one might expect during the “Great Stay” period. Workers do not typically quit their jobs during times of economic uncertainty, and yet, the quit rate in the sector has averaged a somewhat elevated 4.3% over the past 12 months, peaking out at 5.5% in June of last year.
For perspective, the labor market was considerably tighter in July 2022, when job openings outnumbered unemployed individuals by 2-to-1. At that time, there were just 49.7 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings, with a surplus of more than 5.84 million job postings relative to job seekers.
