Food and Beverage Employment Drops for First Time Since AprilOne in five jobs lost during the Coronavirus pandemic come from restaurant industry.
This story originally appeared onValueWalk
Today, theIndependent Restaurant Coalition(IRC) released the following statement in response to Bureau of Labor Statistics' November jobs report, which showed food and beverage establishments shedding over 17,000 jobs:
"We have warned Congress for months that winter will bring another wave of closures and layoffs – they're here," saidthe Independent Restaurant Coalition."Outdoor dining is a distant memory while indoor dining has been restricted in many states across the country, and – unlike in March – restaurants have already endured ten months of diminished revenue. We're out of time and out of funds.PPPdidn't stop our industry from sustaining massive job losses before and it won't save our industry and our 11 million workers now. We need our lawmakers to pass the RESTAURANTS Act to get neighborhood restaurants and their workers through the remainder of this crisis."
Today's employment report showed that food and beverage places lost 17,400 jobs in November, and are still down over 2.1 million jobs since the start of the pandemic -- far more than any other industry. This is the first net loss of jobs for the industry since April, when restrictions were at their tightest. Unemployment in Leisure and Hospitality is 134% higher than the national average. Neighborhood restaurants and bars around the country have been pleading with Congress to pass the RESTAURANTS Act, a bipartisan bill that would establish a $120 billionRestaurant Revitalization Fundfor businesses hurt during the pandemic.
Direct Relief For Restaurants Is Needed
President-elect Joe Biden agreed that direct relief for restaurants was needed during aneconomic roundtablethis week, remarking on aid to restaurants: "It should not be a loan, it should be a guarantee." IRC member and Milwaukee restaurant owner, Dan Jacobs was one of the business owners who participated in the conversation.
This past week, the RESTAURANTS Act gained major momentum, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) became the fiftieth senator to support the bill. As of today, the bill is co-sponsored by 215 House members and 50 Senators, including Republicans like Sens. Wicker, Ernst, Graham, Cornyn, Murkowski, and Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Senator and Vice President ElectHarris, and Sens. Manchin, Warren, Sinema, Durbin and many others. In October, the House passed the RESTAURANTS Act as part of theHEROES Act 2.0.
Visitwww.saverestaurants.comfor the latest information on diningrestrictionsandclosures.
About The IRC:
TheIndependent Restaurant Coalitionwas formed by chefs and independent restaurant owners across the country who have built a grassroots movement to secure vital protections for the nation's 500,000 independent restaurants and the more than 11 million restaurant workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
