There is substantial turnover in many of these jobs because of the minimal educational and training requirements. Many workers who leave these jobs transfer to other occupations, while others stop working to assume household responsibilities or to attend school full time. Overall employment of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen workers is expected to increase about as fast as the national average for all occupations through the year 2006. Employment growth will be spurred by increases in population, household income, and leisure time that will allow people to dine out and take vacations more often. In addition, as the number of two-income households grows, more families may find dining out a convenience.
Projected employment varies by specialty, however.
The popularity of fresh baked breads and pastries should ensure continued rapid growth in the employment of bakers. Employment of institutional and cafeteria chefs and cooks, on the other hand, will grow more slowly than other types of cooks. While some establishments employ more highly trained chefs and cooks to prepare more appealing meals, many contract out their food services.