How to become a kitchen helper
Official title: Kitchen helpers
Also called: Hand dish washer, Kitchen assistant, Kitchen hand, Kitchen porter, Kitchen steward, Pantry attendant
Kitchen helpers clear tables, clean kitchen areas, wash dishes, prepare ingredients and perform other duties to assist workers who prepare or serve food and beverages.
Main tasks
- Cleaning kitchens, food preparation areas and service areas
- Assisting cooks and chefs in preparation of food by washing, peeling, chopping, cutting, measuring and mixing ingredients
- Assembling dishes for service
- Unpacking checking, transferring, weighing and storing supplies in refrigerators, cupboards and other storage areas
- Washing dishes and cooking utensils and putting them away
- Preparing, cooking, toasting and heating simple food items
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$14,400 a month
- About 337,600 people in 2025, and about 334,700 projected by 2028. (-0.8%)
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to become a kitchen helper?
Usually not. Only 2% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a kitchen helper?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (Annual Earnings and Hours Survey): Monthly and hourly wage percentiles by occupational group (5 groups) (Tables 220-23014, 220-23024, 220-23003) (2025 (May to June 2025), released 2026-03-23), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026