Kitchen porter

174.6K UK workers · typical pay £21,000 · entry route GCSEs grades 4-9 (A*-C). Projected headcount change: +2% to 2035.

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

Thin signal. Only 15% 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.

29%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

3.8×

Time compression

~1.1h → ~17min

2.49/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

71%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 57.1%task iteration 19.7%feedback loop 13.2%learning 7.2%validation 1.5%unclassified 1.3%

What people make with AI here

recipe / meal plan33%explanation / answer22%advice / recommendation11%

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)

174.6K

Median pay

£21.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

1 / 10

Elasticity

2.5 / 10

2035 outlook

+2%

Exposure · 1/10

Why AI can do the work

The role is almost entirely physical, requiring manual dexterity, physical endurance, and presence in a high-temperature, unpredictable environment. While some administrative tasks like inventory tracking could be assisted by AI, the core duties of cleaning, food preparation, and unloading deliveries cannot be automated by current or near-term AI technology.

Elasticity · 2.5/10

Gated by saturated

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Output is strictly capped by the physical capacity of existing restaurant kitchens and the number of meals served to a finite population.

Trajectory to 2035