Kitchen helper

#8Declining

4/5

Key facts

−2%jobs, 2025 to 2035

United States

This job is declining in the United States. AI exposure: very low according to the ILO, low according to the BLS. Employment change in the United States by 2035: −2% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Kitchen helpers (ISCO 9412). Kitchen helpers clear tables, clean kitchen areas, wash dishes, prepare ingredients and perform other duties to assist workers who prepare or serve food and beverages.

Page built from official classifications (ILO, ESCO); figures cover all the jobs grouped here.

14 job titles linked to this page

Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.

catering assistant
catering trainee
dish washer
kitchen assistant
kitchen boy
kitchen hand
kitchen porter
kitchen steward
kitchen trainee
kitchen worker
KP
pot and pan washer
roundsman
spare hand

What next?

Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.

ChangingCook
ChangingFast food cook
ChangingChef

Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.

Gauges

Risk 4/5 · High

AI exposureLowBLS AI exposure category "low" (2026), higher than the ILO 2025 index (very low)

Employment outlookSharp declineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Food preparation workers; Dishwashers)

Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job

PayLowBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $35,065

EntryVery quickBLS, typical education needed for entry

No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job: this gauge stays empty. How countries are compared

Sources

AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 · official statistics
Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 · large survey
ESCO, European classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations (job titles and O*NET crosswalk)European Commission · version 1.2 · official statistics
Jobs in 2030: projections by occupational family (summary table)Dares and France Stratégie · March 2022 · official statistics
Labour needs survey (BMO) 2026France Travail · 2026 · large survey
EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annexEuropean Labour Authority · June 2026 · official statistics

Checked on 27 October 2026.