Job prospects Cook in Alberta

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "cook" in Alberta or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Alberta

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 Alberta 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.
• High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.

• The accommodation and food services industry had the highest job vacancy rate among industries in the province over the first half of 2024, indicating that there are employment opportunities going unfilled.
• Population growth should improve the demand for this occupation. However, restaurants remain sensitive to the discretionary spending of consumers, which is dependent on economic conditions.
• Food service employers are having an increasingly difficult time recruiting and retaining employees at all levels, meaning that hiring requirements may be more flexible, at least over the near-term.

Here are some key facts about Cooks in Alberta:

• Approximately 18,700 people work in this occupation.
• Cooks mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 75%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 66% compared to 80% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 34% compared to 20% for all occupations
• 36% of cooks work all year, while 64% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 35 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of cooks are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 61% compared to 53% for all occupations
  • Women: 39% compared to 47% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 23% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 42% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 10% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 14% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 9% compared to 21% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Alberta 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 "cook" Cooks (NOC 63200) or across Canada.

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