Leisure & Hospitality Unemployment Tops All Major Industries, Oysterlink Analysis of Latest BLS Report Shows
September 01, 2025 4:31 PM EDT | Source: OysterLink
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2025) - The latest unemployment report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as analyzed by OysterLink, shows that leisure and hospitality recorded a 6.2% unemployment rate in July 2025, up from 5.5% a year earlier. This makes it the highest unemployment rate of any major industry, while the overall jobless rate remained nearly unchanged at 4.6%.
Unemployment rate in leisure and hospitality
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Several industries showed improvements year over year. Construction unemployment fell from 3.9% to 3.4%, while transportation and utilities dropped from 5.1% to 3.9%. Others remained relatively stable, such as education and health services (3.7% to 3.8%) and financial activities (2.5% to 2.2%).
By contrast, manufacturing saw an increase from 3.6% to 4.2%, alongside the rise in leisure and hospitality. However, at 6.2%, leisure and hospitality remains the highest among all major industries.
Table 1. Unemployment rates by selected industry (July 2024 vs. July 2025)
| Industry | July 2024 | July 2025 | Change |
| Total, 16 years and over | 4.5% | 4.6% | +0.1 |
| Construction | 3.9% | 3.4% | -0.5 |
| Manufacturing | 3.6% | 4.2% | +0.6 |
| Transportation & Utilities | 5.1% | 3.9% | -1.2 |
| Professional & Business Services | 4.2% | 3.3% | -0.9 |
| Education & Health Services | 3.7% | 3.8% | +0.1 |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 5.5% | 6.2% | +0.7 |
| Financial Activities | 2.5% | 2.2% | -0.3 |
"As the latest data shows, leisure and hospitality consistently records one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S.," said Milos Eric, co-founder and general manager of OysterLink.
"Monitoring these changes is critical, as they provide an early signal of how restaurants, hotels, and entertainment businesses may approach staffing decisions heading into the fall and holiday periods," Eric added.
For employers, the data points to the need for careful workforce planning ahead of the holiday season. For workers, it underscores the role of platforms like OysterLink in connecting job seekers with opportunities across hospitality.
About OysterLink
OysterLink is a job platform for restaurant and hospitality professionals with over 400,000 monthly visitors. OysterLink connects talent with opportunities across the U.S., including the top server jobs in New York City or bartender jobs in Los Angeles.
The platform also offers trend reports, expert insights, and interviews with leaders in hospitality. To explore more data-driven insights or post a job that works for today's talent, visit www.oysterlink.com.
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