Research
July 29, 2025
Restaurant Job Openings
Accommodation and Foodservice Job Openings Returned to Trend in June
Job openings in the hospitality sector fell sharply in June, after registering an unexpected jump in May. On the last business day of June, there were 754,000 job openings in the combined restaurants and accommodations sector, according to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data from BLS.
That was well below the nearly 1.1 million job openings reported in May, which appears to be more of a statistical anomaly than an actual shift in the industry’s labor market. Excluding the outlier reading in May, hospitality sector job openings averaged roughly 770,000 during the past 4 months, which is consistent with the trend of a moderating demand for labor.
While job openings returned to trend in June, separations remained elevated compared to recent months. There were 823,000 total separations in the restaurants and accommodations sector in June, according to BLS. That represented the second consecutive month with readings above 800,000, after spending the previous 12 months below the 800k level.
Meanwhile, employers in the restaurants and accommodations sector filled 817,000 positions in June. That was down from 923,000 total hires in May, and represented the lowest reading in 3 months.
In contrast, the quit rate in the overall economy trended lower in recent months, as the 3.14 million people quitting their jobs in June represented the lowest level since December 2024.
In the overall economy, there were 7.4 million job openings on the last business day of June. That was down somewhat from May's 7.7 million openings, but was generally on par with the average during the first half of 2025.
Job openings also continue to converge with the number of active job seekers. When compared with the 7.02 million unemployed individuals in June, it translates to roughly 94 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings.
That was well below the nearly 1.1 million job openings reported in May, which appears to be more of a statistical anomaly than an actual shift in the industry’s labor market. Excluding the outlier reading in May, hospitality sector job openings averaged roughly 770,000 during the past 4 months, which is consistent with the trend of a moderating demand for labor.
While job openings returned to trend in June, separations remained elevated compared to recent months. There were 823,000 total separations in the restaurants and accommodations sector in June, according to BLS. That represented the second consecutive month with readings above 800,000, after spending the previous 12 months below the 800k level.
Meanwhile, employers in the restaurants and accommodations sector filled 817,000 positions in June. That was down from 923,000 total hires in May, and represented the lowest reading in 3 months.
In contrast, the quit rate in the overall economy trended lower in recent months, as the 3.14 million people quitting their jobs in June represented the lowest level since December 2024.
Job openings also continue to converge with the number of active job seekers. When compared with the 7.02 million unemployed individuals in June, it translates to roughly 94 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings.
