Job prospects Institutional Cook in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "institutional cook" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Cooks (NOC 63200) in Ontario for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are several unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Full-service restaurants and limited service eating places  
• Nursing and residential care facilities

 

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• The high number of restaurants in the province will support opportunities for cooks
• Investments in new nursing and long-term care facilities in Ontario
• Elevated levels of travel and tourism activity expected over the forecast period

 

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• There are three voluntary skilled trades associated with this occupation in Ontario, namely, Cook, Assistant Cook, and Institutional Cook
• Some employers may require cooks to complete a Food Handler Certification Program 
• Skill requirements can vary by place of work:
• Limited-service restaurants may not require formal training or much experience
• Full-service restaurants, catering companies, hotels, and nursing and long-term care facilities may require formal training and related experience depending on the duties.

Here are some key facts about Cooks in Ontario:

• Approximately 52,600 people work in this occupation.
• Cooks mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 77%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 56% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 44% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 34% of cooks work all year, while 66% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 34 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• 6% of cooks are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 62% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 38% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 23% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 41% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 18% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 8% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "institutional cook" Cooks (NOC 63200) or across Canada.

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