Staffing

NRA applauds workforce advancement initiative

Photo by istock.com

March 30, 2022

The National Restaurant Association is supporting a program, The Essential Workers for Economic Advancement, created under the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act, that aims to create pathways for workers to come to the U.S. restaurant market on non-immigrant, three-year visas.

The program aims to broaden job opportunities in the restaurant industry and help ease recruitment challenges the U.S. restaurant industry is facing, according to a press release It is intended for small businesses in industries with comparatively low sales per employee and would be available for non-agricultural jobs with lower education thresholds that have been unfilled for extended periods of time, stated the release.

"There is no silver bullet to solving the industry's recruitment challenge, but this program creates one opportunity to address the issue," Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the NRA, said in the release. "The overlapping blows of the pandemic and now an inflationary economy are limiting industry operations. For restaurants to fully recover and grow, we have to be open at full capacity — and to do that we have to continue to grow our workforce. This program is a win-win for employers in desperate need of employees and individuals seeking training and opportunity."

The EWEA will initially be available for up to 65,000 workers, but after the first year, the total number will be determined by market-based need. The number of workers in the program cannot exceed 85,000.

"The Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act addresses a pressing problem for a host of industries that is stalling economic growth — a chronic worker shortage. Restaurants are vital drivers in every community, so I appreciate the ongoing input and support of the National Restaurant Association in bringing this legislation to introduction," Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pennsylvania) said in the release.

The foodservice industry is the nation's second-largest private sector employer, with a workforce of more than 14 million people in nearly 1 million eating and drinking establishments. According to the National Restaurant Association 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report, roughly half of operators expect recruiting and retention of employees will be their top challenge in 2022.