Hands-on, growing

Chef

178.2K UK workers · typical pay £31,000 · entry route GCSEs grades 4-9 (A*-C). Projected growth of +9% to 2035.

How AI is actually used here · measured · Anthropic Economic Index

Thin signal. Only 20% of the Claude usage mapped to this job is actual work. The rest is personal or study use of the same skills. Read the figures below as indicative, not precise.

44%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

5.8×

Time compression

~2.4h → ~24min

2.7/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

56%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 44.8%task iteration 37.3%feedback loop 9.8%unclassified 3.6%learning 3.4%validation 1%

What people make with AI here

recipe / meal plan35%data / spreadsheet14%plan / strategy10%

Real Claude.ai usage mapped to this occupation's SOC group, Apr+May 2026, CC-BY. Claude users only; task times model-estimated; augment/automate is how AI is used, not a count of jobs lost. Method →

Facts · ONS + NCS

UK workers (2024)

178.2K

Median pay

£31.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

2 / 10

Elasticity

7.5 / 10

2035 outlook

+9%

Exposure · 2/10

Why AI can do the work

The core of a chef's role involves manual dexterity, sensory judgment, and physical presence in a high-pressure, unpredictable environment. While AI can assist with peripheral tasks like menu planning, inventory management, and recipe generation, the physical preparation and cooking of food remain highly resistant to automation in the medium term.

Elasticity · 7.5/10

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Lower costs would shift dining from a luxury to a daily utility, unlocking massive latent demand for prepared meals over home cooking.

Trajectory to 2035

Headcount grows +9%, a Jevons-pattern curve.

Adoption scenario

×1.00 · Consensus

Change the scenario in the nav to reshape this curve.

Headcount projection · 2024 → 2035

Baseline 178.2K workers (2024) · % change vs baseline

Peak 2035 +9%2035 +9%

Peak headcount

2035

+9% vs 2024

2035 endpoint

+9%

193.8K workers

Time to −10%

–

Never crosses in model

Total wage pool

£5.5B

pay × jobs

Where this role lives

UK employment share by region, SOC-joined to 5434.

London

41.0K · 19.2%

North West

24.9K · 11.6%

Scotland

23.2K · 10.9%

South West

19.9K · 9.3%

South East

19.4K · 9.1%

West Midlands

18.6K · 8.7%

Yorkshire and The Humber

17.0K · 8%

East

14.9K · 7%

Gender split

Majority-male role (75.7% men).

43.3K women · 24%134.8K men · 76%