ADP: Over 30,000 Franchise Jobs Added in December

Franchisees ended the year in a hiring mood, according to the latest ADP National Franchise Report. In December, U.S. franchise jobs increased by 30,250, marking the highest gain in nine months according to the payroll processor. In comparison, the franchise industry grew by only 13,070 jobs in November. “Throughout 2013, the franchise industry added 229,000 new jobs, which represents nearly 11% of all new jobs created in the U.S., based on our data,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, senior director of the ADP Research Institute. Franchise employment grew by 2.9% year over year, added Yildirmaz, outpacing overall private-sector job grow by a full percentage point. Restaurants showed the biggest gains in hiring, adding more than three-quarters of the jobs last month. Gas stations and accommodations businesses tied for a distant second, each adding only 11% of the total jobs created. These gains fall in line with industry-specific numbers in November. According to the ADP report, franchise restaurant jobs grew by 12,970 in November, with accommodations businesses increasing by 440 jobs. One big month-over-month drop was seen in the food retail segment. Food retailers saw a positive employment increase of 930 jobs in November, while the December report showed a net gain of only 330 positions. The ADP National Franchise Report is based on anonymous payroll data of ADP client companies. ADP serves 15,000 franchisors and franchisees who employ nearly 1 million U.S. workers.