Bars and restaurants took the biggest hit of all, another obstacle for an industry already under pressure: Nearly half of the industry’s jobs disappeared during the shutdowns caused by the initial wave of the virus last spring. Payrolls had bounced back some since then, with food and drinking establishments gaining jobs in all but three months since April 2020. But there are still 966,300 fewer jobs at restaurants and bars than there were at the pre-pandemic high in February 2020. The leisure and hospitality sector, which includes bars and restaurants, has been particularly important to the job market’s recovery from the pandemic. Of the 4.5 million jobs added to the economy in 2021, 2.1 million—or 47%—have been in leisure and hospitality. In August, the net job gain in the category was zero. Have a question, comment, or story to share? You can reach Rob at ranthes@thebalance.com.
