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Chef and cook recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help hotels, pubs, resorts, restaurants, clubs, caterers and roadhouses across Australia hire qualified chefs and cooks, from commis and demi chefs to chefs de partie, sous chefs and head chefs. We plan each search around your kitchen, your busiest trading periods and the food safety supervisor your business must have.

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Illustrative image: a chef in whites plates a meal at the pass of a busy country hotel kitchen while a cook works the range behind.

Chef and cook hiring at a glance

Chefs and cooks are both in national shortage, and job ads for each rose over the past year.

national rating for Chef and for Cook in 2026
Shortage
Rated S on the ANZSCO 2022 list; the Chef rating is on balance. In shortage means rated S or R.3
online job ads a month for chefs
3,413
Three-month average to September 2026, up from 3,047 a year earlier.1
online job ads a month for cooks
1,228
Three-month average to September 2026, up from 1,098 a year earlier.1
of cook ads with a location were for regional areas
40%
481 of 1,216 ads; for chefs the share was 32%.4

What do chefs and cooks do, and which qualification do they hold?

Chefs plan menus, estimate food and labour costs, order supplies, monitor the quality of dishes, cook, and explain and enforce hygiene rules; many also select and train staff.5 Cooks check ingredients, run ovens and grills at the right temperatures, prepare, season, portion and plate food, store it safely and cater for special diets.6

The national trade qualification is SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery.7 Beyond the qualification, the question a kitchen employer meets in every state is food safety supervision, set out below.

Which food safety licence or certificate applies to a kitchen in each state?

No state licenses chefs or cooks as an occupation. What each state does require is a certified food safety supervisor for most food service businesses, a role you may want your chef to hold.

Food safety supervisor requirement for food service businesses, by state and territory, as published by each state regulator on 1 November 2026.

State or territoryLicence or certificate ruleGood to know
QueenslandEvery licensed food business must have a food safety supervisor8The supervisor must be reasonably available to advise and supervise each food handler8
New South WalesCategory one and two food businesses must have a food safety supervisor9NSW Food Authority certificates are valid for 5 years9
VictoriaClass 1, most class 2 and class 3A food premises must have a food safety supervisor10The local council decides the premises class10
South AustraliaCategory one and two businesses must appoint a certified food safety supervisor11The certificate must show training completed within the last 5 years11
Western AustraliaBusinesses preparing ready-to-eat food from unpackaged, potentially hazardous food must appoint a supervisor, since 8 December 202312The certificate must be from the past 5 years12
TasmaniaFood services, caterers and some retailers handling unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food must appoint at least one supervisor13In force since December 202313
Northern TerritoryFood service and retail businesses in categories 1 and 2 must have a supervisor with SITSS00069, SIRRFSA001 or HLTSS0006114The training must be from the last 5 years14
Australian Capital TerritoryAll registered food businesses must appoint a food safety supervisor15New businesses have 30 days after registration to appoint one15

What does a chef earn?

Where the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 covers the role, a qualified cook must be paid at least $1,119.10 a week as a commis chef (cook grade 3), $1,189.40 as a demi chef (grade 4) and $1,221.10 as a chef de partie (grade 5), from 1 July 2026, for full-time adults.16 The Restaurant Industry Award 2020 sets the same weekly rates.17

The hospitality award covers hotels, motels and similar businesses.18 The restaurant award covers restaurants, cafés, roadhouses and reception centres, but not restaurants run by an employer covered by the hospitality or registered clubs awards.19

Market pay sits a little above those minimums. Chefs had median full-time earnings of $1,423 a week and cooks $1,432 a week in May 2025, nationally.2 We talk with you about the salary, penalty rates, staff meals and any accommodation before the search begins.

Where are chefs and cooks in demand?

New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland carry most chef job ads. Across Australia, chef ads rose from 3,047 to 3,413 a month in the year to September 2026, and cook ads from 1,098 to 1,228.1 Regional areas held 1,075 chef ads and 481 cook ads with a location.4

Online job ads for chefs and for cooks by state (three-month average to September 2026) and each state's share of chefs' employment (February 2026).1,2

State or territoryChef job ads a monthCook job ads a monthShare of chefs employed
New South Wales1,000139430.1%2
Victoria81627627.1%
Queensland80027220.9%
Western Australia39415611.3%
South Australia248835.4%
Australian Capital Territory64161.8%
Tasmania49122.1%
Northern Territory42191.5%

What to tell us about your kitchen role

Tell us the venue and the food: a pub bistro, resort restaurant, function centre, mine camp or roadhouse, the cuisine, and how many covers on a busy night. Then the level you need, from commis chef to head chef, who they report to and whether they will run the kitchen, order stock or train others.

Tell us the hours: split shifts, weekends and your busiest trading periods. Say whether you offer staff accommodation and meals, and whether the chef will act as your food safety supervisor.

How we help you hire a chef or cook

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about the venue, the menu, the kitchen team, the hours and busy periods, and the food safety supervisor role.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with chefs and cooks about the kitchens they have run or worked in, their cuisine, their food safety certificate and the hours they want.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Rosters, accommodation and relocation

Tell us whether the kitchen is a town venue or a residential, drive-in drive-out or fly-in fly-out camp, its point of hire and its roster. We set out the roster, the busy periods and any staff housing at the first conversation.

We start with chefs and cooks who already live near you, then widen the search to those ready to relocate for the right kitchen. Tell us about relocation help or staff accommodation, and we put it in front of candidates.

If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Looking for a chef or cook job in the regions?

Register with Hire Australia and tell us your qualification, the kitchens you have worked in, your food safety certificate and the town or region you would like to live in. We will talk with you about regional kitchen roles that fit.

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Talk to us about your next chef or cook hire

Tell us the venue, the level and when you need the person to start.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

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A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

Does a chef need a licence to work in Australia?

No state licenses chefs or cooks as an occupation. Most food service businesses must have a certified food safety supervisor instead, for example every licensed food business in Queensland and every registered food business in the ACT.8,15 Hire Australia asks candidates whether they hold a current supervisor certificate.

What is the award minimum for a chef?

Where the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 covers the role, a full-time chef de partie (cook grade 5) must be paid at least $1,221.10 a week from 1 July 2026, and a commis chef $1,119.10.16 Chefs' median full-time earnings were $1,423 a week in May 2025.2 Hire Australia agrees the salary with you before the search.

How hard is it to recruit a chef or cook in a regional area?

Chef and Cook are both rated in national shortage for 2026,3 and ads rose for both in the year to September 2026, with 481 cook ads a month placed for regional areas.1,4 Hire Australia starts regional kitchen searches early, well before your busiest trading period.

Does Hire Australia recruit head chefs and sous chefs?

Yes. Hire Australia recruits head chefs, sous chefs and chefs de partie as well as cooks, for permanent roles in hotels, resorts, clubs, restaurants and camps. We ask about the menu, the kitchen team they will lead, the budget they manage and the hours, so the people we introduce fit the kitchen as well as the title.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The fee terms are the same whether Hire Australia recruits a cook for a country pub or a head chef for a resort.

Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.

Sources (19)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (descriptions, earnings, employment and state tables). Median full-time earnings: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national, non-managerial adult employees. Employment and state shares: February 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022 sheet). National ratings, files dated October 2026. "In shortage" means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional (regional includes Newcastle and Geelong). Counts ads. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 3513 Chefs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 3514 Cooks. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. training.gov.au, SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (release 1, current). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. Queensland Government (Queensland Health), Food safety supervisors. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. NSW Food Authority, Standard 3.2.2A food safety management tools: frequently asked questions. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. Department of Health, Victoria, Food safety supervisor (page updated 29 June 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. SA Health, Food Safety Supervisor certification. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. Department of Health, Western Australia, Food Safety Supervisor training course. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Department of Health, Tasmania, Food safety supervisor. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  14. Northern Territory Government, Skills and knowledge for food workers (food safety supervisors). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  15. ACT Government, Food safety supervisors (page updated 30 June 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  16. Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide: Hospitality Industry (General) Award [MA000009]. Published 24 June 2026. Rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; cook (tradesperson) grades 3 to 5. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  17. Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide: Restaurant Industry Award [MA000119]. Published 24 June 2026. Rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; cook grades 3 to 5 (tradesperson), the same as the hospitality award. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  18. Fair Work Ombudsman, Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009], clause 4 coverage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  19. Fair Work Ombudsman, Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119], clause 4 coverage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑