Forecast: Food Services Employment in South Africa

The food services employment in South Africa has exhibited fluctuations over the past decade, reaching 140.27 thousand jobs in 2023. The highest employment was observed in 2019 at 147.83 thousand jobs, followed by a drop attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the recent volatility, employment has shown moderate recovery with year-on-year variations of 1.39% in 2023, following 1.43% in 2022, and a steady growth projected for the forthcoming years. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2019-2023 stands at 7.72%, indicating a robust recovery trend in recent years.

Looking ahead:

• Forecasted CAGR from 2024 to 2028 is 1.09%, suggesting a stable, though slower, growth rate.
• The total growth rate for the next five years is anticipated to be 5.56%.

Future trends to watch for include: the impact of technological advancements in food service operations, potential governmental policy changes, and economic fluctuations which could influence the growth trajectory of employment in this sector.