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What the uptick in restaurant hiring means

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Restaurants have been adding jobs at four times the rate of the economy overall. It doesn’t mean the industry is booming -- it’s an increase of just about 0.8% in new jobs for 2010 so far. But it’s still better than the rest of the economy, which has increased jobs at a rate of 0.2% so far this year.

The increase in restaurant jobs is important for two reasons: many experts view the industry as a bellwether of the economy, because eating out is generally the first thing people cut back when they’re feeling strapped -- and the first activity many people pick up again when they’re feeling more flush.

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The new jobs are also part of a broader trend toward jobs in service industries -- and in the restaurant business in particular -- as our economy continues to tilt away from manufacturing, and construction remains slow.

Read more: Restaurant jobs top the menu

-- Sharon Bernstein

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