Job prospects Line Cook in Québec

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "line cook" in Québec or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Québec

The recent trends from the past 3 years were updated on July 25, 2025. The job outlooks over the next 3 years were updated on December 10, 2025.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be Limited for cooks (NOC 63200) in Quebec for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are several unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Employment in this occupation is closely linked to the trends that affect the food services sector. This industry is characterized by a highly competitive business environment and low profit margins, leading to significant business turnover. However, some positions are found in more stable environments, such as cafeterias in hospitals, schools or corporate institutions, as well as catering services.

The recent population growth, driven by immigration, and an improved tourism outlook are contributing to expanding the clientele in the food services industry. However, in the context of the rising cost of living and economic uncertainty, consumers tend to reduce non-essential spending and favour more affordable options, such as take-out meals or limited-service counters. This trend may foster employment in fast-food restaurants at the expense of full-service restaurants.

Additionally, to remain profitable, various restaurants are simplifying their menus, reducing their workforce, and adopting automated solutions, which change labour requirements and could restrict hiring.

Here are some key facts about cooks in Quebec:

• Approximately 47,100 people work in this occupation.
• Cooks mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 72%
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 63% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 37% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 41% of cooks work all year, while 59% 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 43 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of cooks are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 56% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 43% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 31% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 28% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 23% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 12% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Québec by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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