Job prospects Food Service Attendant in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "food service attendant" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be very good for Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (NOC 65201) in Nova Scotia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

A severe shortage of workers in this occupation that emerged in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic containment measures continues to affect the food services industry throughout the province. Prospects are good for individuals looking for work as a server, however some conditions of employment may be a deterrent to applicants, such as long or irregular hours and seasonality.

Here are some key facts about Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 8,800 people work in this occupation.
• Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 70%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 10%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 49% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 51% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 39% of food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations work all year, while 61% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 36 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 33% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 67% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 27% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 46% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 6% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 11% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 8% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "food service attendant" Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (NOC 65201) or across Canada.

Learn more