April Jobs Report: Franchises Are on Fire (and That’s a Good Thing)

If the U.S. job market in April were a business, it would be… a franchise.

Seriously. The big story isn’t just how many jobs we added—it’s where they came from. And if you guessed “franchise brands doing the heavy lifting while corporate HR departments debate a new workflow,” congrats, you win.

Here’s the TL;DR:

• 177,000 new jobs added in April
• 4.2% unemployment (steady)
• Franchises added 28,500 jobs
• Wages up 3.8% year-over-year
• And yes, someone is still posting jobs on Craigslist

Franchises = The Real MVPs

You know who’s not waiting around for Q3 approval or a full HR headcount?

The local Planet Fitness owner who needs a new trainer this week.

The Homewatch CareGivers team scrambling to fill a weekend shift.

The sandwich shop manager who just lost their top employee.

Franchise operators don’t have time for red tape.

They hire fast. They adapt faster. And they showed up big in April.

According to ADP and Business Draft’s Franchise Report:

• Quick-service restaurants are hiring again (hello, lunch rush)
• Personal services—gyms, spas, and studios—are fully back in business
• Caregiving franchises continue to grow with the aging population

And these aren’t just jobs—they’re local impact, fast onboarding, and real opportunity.

Beyond Franchises: Who Else Is Hiring?

The usual suspects made an appearance:

• Healthcare: +51,000 (still the undisputed champ)
• Transportation/Warehousing: +29,000 (your online orders thank them)
• Finance: +14,000 (someone’s refinancing… again)
• Social Services: +8,000

And a few sectors hit pause:

• Federal Government: -9,000 jobs (still downsizing)
• Temp staffing: a little softer—maybe everyone’s done “temp to hire” for now?

What It Means for Franchise Brands

If you’re leading a franchise system or running a location, here’s the honest truth:

Good people are out there. But they won’t wait for a 17-step application process.

That’s why more franchise brands are switching to Business Draft:

• Jobs posted in under 10 minutes
• Full custom branded platform and career pages
• Smart candidate matching
• Automations that cut hours off your hiring process

Less ghosting. More offers. Faster hiring.

You focus on running the business. We’ll handle the stack of resumes.

Final Thoughts (aka: Here’s the Pitch, But It’s True)

Franchise hiring is heating up. Summer turnover is coming.

If your hiring feels like herding cats with a blindfold on… it’s not you. It’s your tools.

Business Draft was built for this moment.

We work with franchise brands across the country—and we’re ready to help you scale.

Let’s turn those job posts into start dates. Fast.