Students Still Flock to Restaurant Jobs

Canadians feel that restaurants teach transferable job skills that students can use elsewhere.

Almost a quarter of Canada entered the workforce through a restaurant.

A new survey conducted by Kraft Foodservice Canada and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) reports that 22% of respondents answered their first job was in the food service industry. The next most popular answer was retail (16%), followed by manufacturing (11%), delivering newspapers (8%) and agriculture (6%).

The survey polled over 1000 Canadians and explored the relationship between Canada and its food service industry.

“This is the first study of its kind in Canada, providing us with a fascinating glimpse into how the restaurant industry is perceived by Canadians,” said Garth Whyte, President and CEO of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

The CRFA reports that Canada’s 81,000 restaurants, bars and caterers account for nearly 4% of the national gross domestic product and employ more than one million people of all ages across Canada.

The same survey also found that a strong majority of Canadians feel that restaurants teach transferable job skills that students can use elsewhere. Three-quarters of respondents agree that working in a restaurant can help young Canadians develop crucial skills.

You can read the full report by clicking here.

Do you work in a restaurant? Do you feel you’re learning anything useful, or just earning pay cheques? Let us know in the comment section below.