Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.
How to read this profile
BLS projects U.S. employment for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders to decrease by -0.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 31,200 to 31,200 jobs. Its estimate of 3,700 annual openings includes replacement needs, so it does not represent current vacancies, contract postings, or freelance demand. The wage ($41,590), education (High school diploma or equivalent), and related experience (None) figures on this profile describe typical U.S. employees. O*NET skills describe the occupation; they do not assess an individual worker's proficiency.
Base employment (2024)
31,200
Projected employment (2034)
31,200
Projected change (2024–2034)
-0%
Annual openings (projected average)
3,700
Pay & Preparation
$41,590
High school diploma or equivalent
None
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Essential Skills
Operations Monitoring (3.5/5) • Reading Comprehension (3.12/5) • Monitoring (3.12/5) • Operation and Control (3.12/5) • Active Listening (3/5) • Critical Thinking (3/5)
O*NET describes occupational requirements; these ratings do not measure current job-posting frequency or an individual worker’s proficiency.
BLS projections are long-term estimates; annual openings include growth and replacement needs and are not current vacancies.
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