EMPLOYED

49,000

PART-TIME SHARE

84%

FEMALE SHARE

36%

MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS

$1,179

MEDIAN AGE

18

ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH

-1,000

Fast Food Cooks prepare a restricted range of foods in fast food establishments.

  • Taking and serving food and beverage orders, and receiving payment from customers
  • Preparing food such as hamburgers, pizzas, fish and chips
  • Washing, cutting, measuring and mixing foods for cooking
  • Operating cooking equipment such as grills, microwaves and deep-fat fryers
  • Cleaning food preparation areas, cooking surfaces and utensils
  • Ordering and taking delivery of fast food ingredients
  • May arrange delivery of prepared food and beverages
On this page

    Earnings and Hours

    Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)
    Source: Share of workers who work full-time hours: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Average full-time hours worked per week: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Median full-time earnings per week and Median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2023, customised report.
    Note: median earnings data have not been produced for some occupations where there is a high standard error, and are published with "N/A" values.
    Earnings and Hours Fast Food Cooks All Occupations
    Share of workers who work full-time hours 16% 70%
    Average full-time hours worked per week 44 hours 44 hours
    Median full-time earnings per week $1,179 $1,697
    Median hourly earnings $31 $43

    Industries

    Fast Food Cooks work in industries like:

    Source: Ranked using ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average data, custom report.
    Note: industries that comprise less than 5% of an occupation have been suppressed.

    States and territories

    New South Wales

    31.3%

    Victoria

    22.9%

    Queensland

    23.1%

    South Australia

    8.2%

    Tasmania

    2.6%

    Northern Territory

    0.7%

    Australian Capital Territory

    1.3%

    Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, Detailed, August 2024, Jobs and Skills Australia trend data.

    Age and gender

    Age and Gender Profile
    Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Age and Gender Fast Food Cooks All Occupations
    Median age 18 years 39 years
    Female share of employment 36% 48%
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Age Profile (% Share) All Occupations Fast Food Cooks
    15–19 5.2 61.0
    20–24 9.1 14.2
    25–34 22.7 9.4
    35–44 22.3 5.8
    45–54 20.4 4.9
    55–59 8.8 2.3
    60–64 6.5 1.6
    65 and Over 4.9 0.9

    Education

    Visit

    • Your Career to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Highest Level of Educational Attainment (% Share) All Occupations Fast Food Cooks
    Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 12.2 1.8
    Bachelor degree 23.2 4.7
    Advanced Diploma/Diploma 11.1 4.7
    Certificate III/IV 19.5 8.1
    Year 12 15.9 25.9
    Year 11 4.0 15.1
    Year 10 and below 9.7 37.0

    This file contains data displayed on the Occupation Profile pages.

    Use of data in this file must include the relevant attribution text provided.

    Occupation profiles data - November 2024.xlsx

    occupation_profiles_data_-_november_2024.xlsx946664

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    Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is the skill-based classification system used to categorise occupations in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets. ANZSCO provides a basis for the standardised collection, analysis and dissemination of occupation data. Visit the ABS website to learn how ANZSCO works. Jobs and Skills Australia displays data for occupations that are defined by ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.3.