Cafe Workers

ANZSCO ID 4312

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
27,900
Future Growth
8%
Weekly Earnings
$1,253
Full-Time Share
13%
Female Share
81%
Average age
24

Summary

Cafe Workers sell and serve food and beverages for consumption on premises in cafes and similar establishments.

Also known as: Cafe Assistant or Cafe Attendant.

Specialisations: Canteen Attendant.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Cafe Worker. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in a related area like hospitality.

Tasks

  • preparing and serving food and beverages for consumption on the premises

  • taking customers' food and beverage orders

  • operating cash registers, accepting payments and preparing sales invoices

  • clearing away used dishes and cutlery from tables when customers are finished

  • cleaning and preparing tables for use

  • washing dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils

  • cleaning cafe equipment such as coffee grinders, espresso machines and ice makers

  • participating in stocktakes and assisting in putting away new stock

  • providing backup to other cafe employees

Characteristics

Job Type
Community And Personal Service Workers
Skill Level
Entry level
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Medium

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 33,300 by 2026.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
8%
(or 2,500 jobs)
From
30,800
in 2021
To
33,300
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 19,100
2012 22,700
2013 21,500
2014 22,900
2015 31,200
2016 30,100
2017 21,800
2018 27,200
2019 30,200
2020 28,300
2021 30,800
2026 33,300

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 19% of people employed as Cafe Workers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 47 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 43 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,253 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,000
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,367

    Median hourly earnings are $31, this is lower than the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Cafe Workers All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,253 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.


Industries

Main industries

1
Accommodation and Food Services
81.4%
2
Other Services
4.5%
3
Manufacturing
3.0%
4
Arts and Recreation Services
3.0%
5
Other industries
7.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

24.7% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.5% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.7% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.2% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Cafe Workers All Jobs Average
NSW 31.0 31.6
VIC 24.7 25.6
QLD 19.5 20.0
SA 7.9 7.0
WA 11.4 10.8
TAS 2.5 2.0
NT 0.7 1.0
ACT 2.2 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
24
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
81%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Cafe Workers is 24 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 15 to 19 years.

    Females make up 81% of the workforce. This is 33 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Cafe Workers All Jobs Average
15-19 31.1 5.0
20-24 19.3 9.3
25-34 15.5 22.9
35-44 11.7 22.0
45-54 13.2 21.6
55-59 4.8 9.0
60-64 2.9 6.0
65 and Over 1.5 4.2
Median Age 24 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Cafe Worker. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in a related area like hospitality.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Tourism, Travel and Hospitality VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Cafe Workers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 1.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 8.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 7.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 11.4 21.1
Year 12 35.9 18.1
Year 11 11.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 23.7 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Café workers who can interact with others, are reliable and well presented.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 39%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 36%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 36%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 34%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 34%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 32%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 32%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 32%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 32%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 32%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 32%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 32%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 30%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 30%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 30%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 27%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 23%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 23%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 21%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 54%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 41%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 40%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 39%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 33%

    Food production

    Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.

  • 33%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 30%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 29%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 28%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 27%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 24%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 23%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 22%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 21%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 20%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 19%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 18%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 16%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 15%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 15%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 48%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 41%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 41%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 37%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 37%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 37%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 37%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • 36%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 36%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 34%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 34%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 32%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 32%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 30%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 30%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 30%

    Whole body coordination

    Move your arms, legs, and body together.

  • 29%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 23%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 62%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 61%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 60%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 55%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 53%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 52%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 49%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 45%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 43%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 41%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 40%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 38%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 36%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 35%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 35%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 35%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 34%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 34%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 34%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 28%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 95%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 81%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 57%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 48%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 19%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 14%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 62%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 26%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 24%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 24%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 19%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 96%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 85%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 82%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 82%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 80%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 80%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 80%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 79%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 79%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 77%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 75%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 74%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 74%

    Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings

    Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.

  • 73%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 71%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 70%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 69%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 69%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 68%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 66%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 35-3021.00 - Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food.


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