← All 785 jobsFile 35-2021
Food Preparation Workers
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 3% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #660 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -3% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $35,320 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 908,500 in the US, with about 135,700 openings a year
The work, 16 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Prepare foods or beverages31%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 859 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Stock supplies or products15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Dispose of waste or debris6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Package objects4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Provide food or beverage services4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Distribute materials, supplies, or resources3%
AI does this in desk jobs, but in this one it is mostly hands-on.
AI helps with this: Prepare mixtures or solutions2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 714 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
AI helps with this: Provide information to guests, clients, or customers2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 75 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Maintain operational records2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Execute financial transactions1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,073 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 97 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 135,700 openings a year as people retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 56% of the workCooks, Short Order0% AI does, against 3% here-5.2% by 2035 · $35,880 · No formal credential
- Shares 55% of the workFast Food and Counter Workers12% AI does, against 3% here+5.8% by 2035 · $31,200 · No formal credential
- Shares 55% of the workCooks, Fast Food0% AI does, against 3% here+0.6% by 2035 · $30,890 · No formal credential
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.14, higher than 47% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 35-2021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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