Minnesota May 2026 Employment Insights

Accommodation & Food Services Month-over-Month Employment #’s

• +1,752 jobs in May (+0.8% since May 2025)

  • Increase in restaurants: 2,138 (+1.1% since 2025)

  • Decline in accommodation: -386 (-1.4% since 2025)

• April 2026: 217,116

• May 2026: 229,677

  • Month-over-month change (Apr → May): +12,561 jobs (+5.8%)

Key Insights

• May 2026 employment (229,677) exceeds May 2025 levels (227,925) by +0.8%, reflecting modest but positive growth.

• May 2026 employment is the smallest monthly employment gap (2.7K) since 2019 levels, indicating recovery for the sector, though growth remains gradual rather than rapid.

National May 2026 Employment Insights

The big picture: The restaurant sector just experienced its strongest hiring momentum in over three years. While national numbers smashed expectations, Minnesota's hospitality industry is working to find its footing after a challenging start to the year.

By the numbers

• National surge: U.S. eating and drinking places added a net 48,000 jobs in May, according to this National Restaurant Association analysis of recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. This represents the largest monthly employment gain since January 2023, pushing total restaurant workforce levels 1.2% above pre-pandemic baselines.
  

• Local reality: Twin Cities Business highlights a steeper hill to climb locally. Following a difficult winter that cost the state’s leisure and hospitality sector an estimated 4,600 jobs and $71M in wages in Q1, operators are actively fighting to rebuild payrolls and stabilize hours.
  

Why it matters: While national data shows robust consumer demand and a resilient labor market, local restaurant margins remain tightly squeezed by rising labor costs, wholesale inflation, and lingering staffing deficits.