Oregon Labor Market Information System
Occupational Information Center
Occupational Report for Food Preparation Workers (35-2021) , Oregon Statewide
Occupational Description

Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

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Food Preparation Workers
Employment Outlook for Food Preparation Workers
Statewide Employment Analysis 2008 employment is estimated to be much larger than the regional average. This occupation is expected to grow at a somewhat faster rate than the regional average. Total job openings are projected to be much higher than the regional average.

Reasonable employment opportunities exist largely due to the significant number or job openings projected for this occupation.

Data Sources and Limitations
Current Employment Department Job Openings for Food Preparation Workers There are 49 current openings for this occupation. Openings 1 through 26 are listed below.
Job Title Date Posted Location Wage Offered
Espresso Clerk 3/10/10 Florence $8.50/hr DOE
Deli Clerk (1557) 6/11/10 North Bend $8.50/hr DOE
Food Service Worker On Call 6/30/10 Mcminnville DOE
Kitchen Staff 7/13/10 Klamath Falls DOE
Deli Cook / Buffet Server 7/19/10 Chiloquin $9.00/hr DOE
Kitchen Assistant - Tualatin (Age 55+) 7/15/10 Tualatin $8.40/hr
Prep-Cook 7/27/10 Tolovana Park $9.00/hr to $10.00/hr DOE
Barista (Part-Time) 7/21/10 Milwaukie $8.60/hr DOE
Deli Worker 7/29/10 Grants Pass $8.40/hr
Barista/Kohler Pavilion Coffee Cart Barista 8/5/10 Portland
Line Cook 8/9/10 Cottage Grove $9.00/hr to $10.00/hr DOE
Buffet Station Attendant 8/11/10 Florence DOE
Deli Worker 8/11/10 Roseburg $8.40/hr
Prep Cook 8/11/10 Florence DOE
Dietary Aide / Dishwasher 8/18/10 Eugene $8.76/hr DOE
Barista (Us) 8/19/10 Corvallis
Barista (Us) 8/19/10 Tualatin
Barista (Us) 8/19/10 Tigard
Shift Supervisor (Us) 8/19/10 Tigard
Shift Supervisor (Us) 8/19/10 Tigard
Kitchen Assistant - Tigard (Age 55+) 8/16/10 Tigard $8.40/hr
Shift Supervisor (Us) 8/17/10 Tualatin
Barista (Us) 8/17/10 Tualatin
Shift Supervisor (Us) 8/17/10 Tualatin
Barista (Us) 8/19/10 Tigard
More Jobs
Job Openings from the Web for Food Preparation Workers The following job openings have been automatically extracted from various sites across the Web. These links are provided as supplemental resources. However, the Employment Department cannot validate these openings nor endorse any of these external sites. Some of these jobs may no longer be open. In some cases, a single opening may be posted on multiple sites.

There are 10 current openings for this occupation. Openings 1 through 10 are listed below.

Job Title Date Posted Location Employer
Catering & Hospitality Jobs 8/28/10
Kitchen Helper 8/20/10 Lakeview
Food Service Assistant 8/18/10 Salem COMMUNITY ACTION HEAD START
We want to hear from the Restaurant Workers! 8/16/10 Portland
Cold Food Production- Prep 8/16/10 Portland LSG Sky Chefs
Pastry Tray Assembly 8/16/10 Portland Elephants Delicatessen
Part Time Kitchen Helper 8/13/10 Tualatin
Food Service Assistant 8/12/10 Salem COMMUNITY ACTION HEAD START
Seafood / Meat Clerk 8/7/10 Pendleton
Prep Processor Day/Grave 6/30/10 Gresham Express Employment Professionals
State of Oregon License Information for Food Preparation Workers
License License Authority Web Site
Foodhandler Certification www.oregon.gov/DHS/aboutdhs/structure/phd.shtml
Wages for Food Preparation Workers
Region ---------------- 2010 Wages ----------------
Percentiles (hourly wages) Avg
Hourly
($/hr)
Avg
Annual
10th 25th 50th
(median)
75th 90th
Oregon Statewide $8.73 $9.17 $10.00 $11.61 $13.67 $10.61 $22,080
Clatsop / Columbia / Tillamook 8.78 9.31 10.28 11.64 13.36 10.69 22,244
Multnomah / Washington 8.81 9.38 10.52 12.17 14.32 11.01 22,895
Marion / Polk / Yamhill 8.71 9.11 9.91 11.58 14.03 10.66 22,175
Benton / Lincoln / Linn 8.64 8.95 9.50 10.27 11.93 9.88 20,566
Lane 8.67 9.02 9.63 10.92 12.67 10.15 21,107
Douglas 8.71 9.12 9.93 11.20 12.22 10.20 21,208
Coos / Curry 8.63 8.92 9.42 10.01 12.08 9.84 20,463
Jackson / Josephine 8.74 9.19 9.95 11.38 13.22 10.66 22,184
Gilliam / Hood River / Sherman / Wheeler / Wasco 8.67 9.02 9.66 11.06 12.26 10.18 21,176
Crook / Deschutes / Jefferson 8.70 9.10 9.82 11.49 14.18 10.58 22,013
Klamath / Lake 8.61 8.87 9.32 10.45 12.67 9.93 20,659
Morrow / Umatilla 8.64 8.95 9.47 10.34 13.87 10.22 21,246
Baker / Union / Wallowa 8.66 8.99 9.57 10.47 12.10 9.90 20,604
Grant / Harney / Malheur 8.64 8.94 9.45 9.98 11.73 9.72 20,217
Clackamas 8.96 9.64 10.54 11.63 13.93 10.91 22,674
Data Sources and Limitations
Regional Employment Projections for Food Preparation Workers
Region Employment Change % Change Projected Annual Openings
2008 2018 Growth Replacement Total
Oregon Statewide 11,104 12,499 1,395 12.6% 140 423 562
Multnomah / Washington 3,894 4,379 485 12.5% 49 148 197
Marion / Polk / Yamhill 1,254 1,427 173 13.8% 17 48 65
Lane 1,133 1,271 138 12.2% 14 43 57
Clackamas 1,035 1,176 141 13.6% 14 40 54
Benton / Lincoln / Linn 864 970 106 12.3% 11 33 43
Jackson / Josephine 671 761 90 13.4% 9 26 35
Crook / Deschutes / Jefferson 579 670 91 15.7% 9 22 32
Clatsop / Columbia / Tillamook 396 448 52 13.1% 5 15 20
Gilliam / Hood River / Sherman / Wheeler / Wasco 272 308 36 13.2% 4 10 14
Klamath / Lake 234 255 21 9.0% 2 9 11
Coos / Curry 227 251 24 10.6% 2 9 11
Douglas 177 194 17 9.6% 2 7 8
Morrow / Umatilla 167 194 27 16.2% 3 7 9
Baker / Union / Wallowa 149 169 20 13.4% 2 6 8
Grant / Harney / Malheur 137 153 16 11.7% 2 5 7

Replacement openings are caused by existing workers permanently leaving their occupation. Many additional job openings occur due to job changes within occupations.
Data Sources and Limitations
Industries of Employment for Food Preparation Workers
Industry
Click links to view infoUSA employers
Ownership 2008
Employment
Total, All Industries All 11,104
Total, All Industries Private 9,774
Manufacturing Private 101
Retail Trade Private 3,671
Food and Beverage Stores Private 2,993
Grocery Stores Private 2,766
Specialty Food Stores Private 227
General Merchandise Stores Private 605
Other General Merchandise Stores Private 605
Health Care and Social Assistance Private 1,177
Hospitals Private 289
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals Private 281
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities Private 732
Nursing Care Facilities Private 223
Community Care Facilities for the Elderly Private 497
Social Assistance Private 154
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation Private 91
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries Private 90
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries Private 90
Accommodation and Food Services Private 4,425
Accommodation Private 255
Traveler Accommodation Private 202
Food Services and Drinking Places Private 4,170
Full-Service Restaurants Private 2,278
Limited-Service Eating Places Private 1,428
Special Food Services Private 423
Other Services (except Public Administration) Private 122
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations Private 122
Religious Organizations Private 84
Total, All Industries State 105
Educational Services State 105
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools State 105
Total, All Industries Local 1,083
Educational Services Local 995
Elementary and Secondary Schools Local 900
Total, All Industries Tribal 142
Educational Requirements for Food Preparation Workers Workers must have short-term on-the-job training to gain the necessary skills for this occupation. However, those with related work experience have a competitive advantage in this labor market.
Skills for Food Preparation Workers
  • Apply Food Handling Rules
  • Apply Health And Sanitation Standards
  • Apply Product Knowledge To Marketing Of Goods
  • Apply Quality Assurance Techniques
  • Clean, Peel And Slice Fruits And Vegetables
  • Cook In Quantity
  • Cut Meat
  • Follow Recipes
  • Follow Safety Procedures
  • Interpret And Apply Health Regulations In Lodging And Food Service
  • Maintain Consistent Quality
  • Measure Or Weigh Ingredients
  • Operate Baking Equipment
  • Operate Cooking Equipment
  • Operate Food Preparation Equipment
  • Prepare Meals
  • Set Up And Operate Carbonated Beverage Machines
  • Set Up And Operate Espresso Machines
  • Use Basic Mathematics
  • Weigh And Package Products
  • Work As A Team Member
Schools and Training Providers for Food Preparation Workers The training providers listed below offer programs related to this occupation. This information is updated once per year. Anyone interested in a particular program should check with the training institution regarding its availability. Listing these training providers does not necessarily constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the State of Oregon.

Central Oregon Community College
2600 NW College Way
Bend, OR 97701
Phone: (541) 383-7500
Programs of Training:
Portland Community College
12000 SW 49th Avenue
Portland, OR 97219
Phone: (503) 244-6111
Programs of Training:
Career Pathway Roadmaps for Food Preparation Workers No Career Pathway links were found for this occupation.
Related Occupations The scores listed below indicates how closely the skills for Food Preparation Workers matches the occupation in the list. A score of 100% means the occupations have identical skill sets. A maximum of 10 occupations are displayed below.
Occupation Skill Overlap
Cooks, Fast Food 64%
Cooks, Short Order 62%
Cooks, Restaurant 45%
Combined Food Preparation And Serving Workers, Including Fast Food 42%
Cooks, All Other 40%
Cooks, Institution And Cafeteria 39%
Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders 35%
Food Mixing And Blending Machine Operators And Tenders 32%
Food Roasting, Baking, And Drying Machine Operators And Tenders 31%
Bakers 30%