As Americans gather this Labor Day in backyards, at lake cabins and in ballparks, they’ll only need to look as far as the beer in their hand to pay homage to our nation’s workforce.
The U.S. brewing and beer importing industry puts more than two million Americans to work. A recently analysis completed by the Beer Institute found that every one job inside a brewery supports another 45 jobs outside the brewery – among industries such as farming, can- and bottle-manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, distribution and retail.
It isn’t difficult to see how brewing creates demand for jobs outside the brewery. Agriculture – just one industry of the many that are involved in brewing – is a great example.
Every year, brewers and beer importers buy billions of pounds of barley malt from farmers in more than a dozen states. Those same brewers and beer importers buy 1.5 billion pounds of rice, corn and other grains used to brew beer, and another 119 million pounds of hops. It takes nearly 56,000 people to cultivate and harvest these brewing staples.
