Research
September 01, 2026
Restaurant Job Openings
Restaurant and lodging job openings declined in recent months
Job openings in the hospitality sector trended lower in recent months, which suggests the demand for labor has cooled amid challenging business conditions.
On the last business day of July, there were 673,000 job openings in the combined restaurants and accommodations sector, according to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data from BLS. That was down from nearly 1 million openings at the beginning of the year and represented the lowest reading since April 2025 (666k).
Along with job openings, the number of hires and separations also trended lower in recent months, which indicates a decrease in churn within the workforce.
Employers in the restaurants and accommodations sector filled 736,000 positions in July. Coupled with the 722,000 jobs filled in June, it represented the softest hiring period since the first quarter of 2025.
There were 742,000 total separations in the restaurants and accommodations sector in July, according to BLS. That represented the lowest level since October 2025 (685k).
July’s decline in total separations was largely due to a dip in the number of people quitting their jobs. Quits in the restaurants and accommodations sector numbered 503,000 in July, according to BLS. That was down from an average of 603,000 people who quit their jobs during the first half of 2026.
Similarly, the quit rate in the overall economy declined in July. The 3.06 million people quitting their jobs in July was down from 3.21 million in June and represented the lowest level since April.
In the overall economy, there were nearly 7.3 million job openings on the last business day of July. That was essentially on par with the average of 7.2 million job openings during the first half of 2026.
Job openings were slightly above the number of active job seekers in recent months. July represented the fourth consecutive month that available job openings exceeded the number of unemployed workers, with a current gap of nearly 400,000 openings.
When compared with the 6.9 million unemployed individuals in July, it translates to roughly 95 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings.
This represents a normalization of labor market dynamics from the period immediately after the pandemic, when there were significantly more job openings than unemployed workers.
On the last business day of July, there were 673,000 job openings in the combined restaurants and accommodations sector, according to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data from BLS. That was down from nearly 1 million openings at the beginning of the year and represented the lowest reading since April 2025 (666k).
Along with job openings, the number of hires and separations also trended lower in recent months, which indicates a decrease in churn within the workforce.
Employers in the restaurants and accommodations sector filled 736,000 positions in July. Coupled with the 722,000 jobs filled in June, it represented the softest hiring period since the first quarter of 2025.
There were 742,000 total separations in the restaurants and accommodations sector in July, according to BLS. That represented the lowest level since October 2025 (685k).
July’s decline in total separations was largely due to a dip in the number of people quitting their jobs. Quits in the restaurants and accommodations sector numbered 503,000 in July, according to BLS. That was down from an average of 603,000 people who quit their jobs during the first half of 2026.
Similarly, the quit rate in the overall economy declined in July. The 3.06 million people quitting their jobs in July was down from 3.21 million in June and represented the lowest level since April.
In the overall economy, there were nearly 7.3 million job openings on the last business day of July. That was essentially on par with the average of 7.2 million job openings during the first half of 2026.
Job openings were slightly above the number of active job seekers in recent months. July represented the fourth consecutive month that available job openings exceeded the number of unemployed workers, with a current gap of nearly 400,000 openings.
When compared with the 6.9 million unemployed individuals in July, it translates to roughly 95 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings.
This represents a normalization of labor market dynamics from the period immediately after the pandemic, when there were significantly more job openings than unemployed workers.
