According to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Millennial and Gen Z members say the foodservice industry offers good employment opportunities and effective training in various skills.
The findings come from a survey of 1,600 respondents in the industry, which was conducted by the Foundation in partnership with the Center for Generational Kinetics. The industry, which currently employs 15.1 million people and expects to add 1.6 million new jobs over the next 10 years, wants to know how both of these generations view the industry and how to interest them in future job and career opportunities.
The survey found that over 70 percent say that the industry is a good place to get a first job. Many Millennials start working in the industry at the age of 18, while many Gen Z members start at 16-and-a-half.
Around half of the respondents say they they’d return to the industry if they had already left it, and that total rises to 65 percent if they have a culinary degree. Additionally, around half of them say they thought a job in the industry is a good one to have and would encourage their own children to seek employment there.
“Millennials and Gen Zs feel so strongly about their own positive experiences in the restaurant industry, they’d recommend working for it to their own children,” says Rob Gifford, executive vice president for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “This offers us a powerful opportunity to not just foster long-term relationships, but also influence this next generation of leaders.”