Employment in the US hospitality sector, including restaurants, bars, and hotels, fell in June, contradicting expectations that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would drive a significant hiring boom.
The decline in leisure and hospitality roles underscores a broader deceleration in the US labor market, where overall job creation has lost steam.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that US employers added only 57,000 jobs in June, a figure that fell well short of the 115,000 increase anticipated by economists.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that US employers added only 57,000 jobs in June, a figure that fell well short of the 115,000 increase anticipated by economists.
This softness in the headline number was compounded by the underperformance of the hospitality sector, which was expected to be a bright spot due to the influx of international visitors for the global tournament.
Analysts had previously projected a notable temporary boost to the nonfarm payrolls count from the World Cup.
Goldman Sachs estimated that the tournament would add approximately 40,000 temporary positions to the June employment figures.