LoginAs restaurant employment around the country continues to expand to near-record levels, the difficulty of recruiting great employees has only gone up in recent months.
The People Report Workforce Index, which measures pressures on restaurant employment from a variety of factors, rose close to pre-recession levels, reaching a peak of 69.9, according to Nation's Restaurant News. This marks its highest point since the final quarter of 2006, when the index hit 70.6.
Pressures on hiring managers including employment levels, recruiting difficulty, vacancy, employment expectations and turnover contribute to the Index's overall ratings. Recruiting difficulty is on the rise in particular, while management hiring has also seen struggles – 46 percent of companies have reported increased difficulty of hiring.
That being said, foodservice job growth has remained high – in the second quarter of 2013, the industry added 151,400 jobs, more than three times the amount created during the same time last year.
More than 175 employees, for example, are currently being sought to staff the new Chuy's restaurant in Kansas City as the chain opens its first restaurant in the region, according to Fox4KC. The restaurant is looking for full-time and part-time workers.