Teen employment is on the rise in Austin restaurants — a possible salve for labor challenges in an industry that’s still hurting from the pandemic, but one that comes with some unique complications for business owners.
In 2022, there were 1.9 million workers nationwide aged 16 to 19 in “food services and drinking places,” according to annual averages compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was a nearly 12% increase from 2019, even as overall employment in such businesses fell 6% over the same time period, part of a mass exodus of restaurant workers and the closure of scores of eateries across the nation during Covid.