Restaurant industry is top job creator

Feb. 5, 2015, Toronto — Canada’s restaurant industry added 31,300 new jobs in 2014, making it the country’s No. 1 one job creator. The health-care sector came in second with 29,800 new jobs last year.

”The restaurant industry is truly a driver of jobs and growth in Canada’s economy,” said Donna Dooher, Restaurants Canada’s interim president and CEO.

“Our industry should be proud. In 2014, we employed more than 20 per cent of the country’s youth workforce. As the top source of first-time jobs, we’re an increasingly important venue for young people and newcomers to gain essential career skills and experience.”

In addition to employing 1.2 million Canadians across the country, restaurants create nearly 300,000 spin-off jobs in industries like farming and manufacturing.

Restaurants Canada’s Restaurant Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter of 2014 shows the restaurant industry has no intention of slowing down in 2015. Eighty-five per cent of operators plan to maintain or grow their current staffing levels over the next six months – the strongest fourth-quarter job outlook since the survey’s inception in 2011.