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Chefs and Head Cooks

Food Preparation and Serving Related · SOC 35-1011

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$62,470
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
20,700
Proj. Annual Openings
200,040
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+7.7%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 35-1011 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
53/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$62,470
H-1B offered wage $69,285; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
20,700
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +7.1%.
Observed/proxy demand
84
FY2025 certified LCAs; 34,936 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

CoordinationSpeakingMonitoringTime ManagementActive Listening

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.9%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

27.8%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI26.2%
AI ability · AIOE57.2%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne10%

AI could do ~26.2% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Coordination
2.Speaking
3.Monitoring
4.Time Management
5.Active Listening

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

513
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
84
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$69,285
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#224 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.

Common titles: Banquet Chef, Chef, Cook, Executive Chef (Ex Chef), Executive Pastry Chef, Executive Sous Chef

Representative Tasks

  • Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
  • Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
  • Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
  • Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
  • Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules.
  • Train food preparation or food service personnel.
  • Coordinate activities of food service staff.
  • Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
  • Check quality of foods or supplies.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotGoogle Sheets · hotAxxya Systems Nutritionist ProBarrington Software CookenPro CommercialCostGuardCulinary Software Services ChefTecEmail softwareGNOME GnutritionGroupMe

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

14
Occupations Shown
1.0%
Avg AI Exposure
9
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 35-1011: 2019 — employment: 128,190, median wage: $51,530; 2020 — employment: 101,490, median wage: $53,380; 2021 — employment: 129,810, median wage: $50,160; 2022 — employment: 160,190, median wage: $56,520; 2023 — employment: 172,370, median wage: $58,920; 2025 — employment: 200,040, median wage: $62,470.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%0.9%
OutlookBright ↗60% Bright
Median Salary$62,470N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A