Job prospects Restaurant Cook in Ontario

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

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