Key Takeaways
- Youth aged 15-24 account for 41% of all restaurant industry employees in Canada
- The restaurant industry is the top employer for first-time job seekers in Canada
- Women represent 53% of the total workforce in Canadian food services
- Canadian restaurants generate $100 billion in annual sales via their employees
- The food service industry contributes 4% of Canada’s total GDP
- Average sales per employee in full-service restaurants is $85,000 annually
- The Canadian food services and drinking places industry employed 1,135,100 people in 2023
- Full-service restaurants in Canada employed 542,300 workers as of late 2023
- Limited-service eating places (fast food) accounted for 489,100 employees in the Canadian market
- Average hourly wage for food service workers in Canada reached $18.55 in Q1 2024
- Real wages in the restaurant sector grew by 5.1% year-over-year in 2023
- There were 65,000 job vacancies in the Canadian food services sector for Q4 2023
- Food and Beverage Servers represent 342,000 employees nationwide
- Cooks number roughly 220,000 in the Canadian labor force
- Food Counter Attendants and Kitchen Helpers count for 280,000 positions
Youth and diverse communities drive Canada’s restaurant workforce, with many students, temporary workers, and high turnover.
Related reading
Economic Impact and Productivity
Economic Impact and Productivity Interpretation
Industry Size and Workforce Volume
Industry Size and Workforce Volume Interpretation
Labor Market and Compensation
Labor Market and Compensation Interpretation
Occupational Roles and Specialization
Occupational Roles and Specialization Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Number Of Employees In The Canadian Restaurants Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/number-of-employees-in-the-canadian-restaurants-statistics
Julian Richter. "Number Of Employees In The Canadian Restaurants Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/number-of-employees-in-the-canadian-restaurants-statistics.
Julian Richter. 2026. "Number Of Employees In The Canadian Restaurants Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/number-of-employees-in-the-canadian-restaurants-statistics.
Sources & References
- Reference 1STATCANwww150.statcan.gc.ca
www150.statcan.gc.ca
- Reference 2STATISTAstatista.com
statista.com
- Reference 3RESTAURANTSCANADArestaurantscanada.org
restaurantscanada.org
- Reference 4BCSTATSbcstats.gov.bc.ca
bcstats.gov.bc.ca
- Reference 5ALBERTAalberta.ca
alberta.ca
- Reference 6GOVgov.mb.ca
gov.mb.ca
- Reference 7DASHBOARDdashboard.saskatchewan.ca
dashboard.saskatchewan.ca
- Reference 8NOVASCOTIAnovascotia.ca
novascotia.ca
- Reference 9GNBwww2.gnb.ca
www2.gnb.ca
- Reference 10PRINCEEDWARDISLANDprinceedwardisland.ca
princeedwardisland.ca
- Reference 11STATSstats.gov.nl.ca
stats.gov.nl.ca
- Reference 12STATCANstatcan.gc.ca
statcan.gc.ca
- Reference 13ICic.gc.ca
ic.gc.ca
- Reference 14CFAcfa.ca
cfa.ca
- Reference 15CONFERENCEBOARDconferenceboard.ca
conferenceboard.ca
- Reference 16CICNEWScicnews.com
cicnews.com
- Reference 17RESTAURATIONrestauration.org
restauration.org
- Reference 18CANADAcanada.ca
canada.ca
- Reference 19PAYSCALEpayscale.com
payscale.com
- Reference 20JOBBANKjobbank.gc.ca
jobbank.gc.ca
- Reference 21BENEFITSCANADAbenefitscanada.com
benefitscanada.com
- Reference 22RETAILCOUNCILretailcouncil.org
retailcouncil.org
- Reference 23WORKBCworkbc.ca
workbc.ca







