Cooks: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)
Cooks is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 5120) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.
- Cook
Pay in Germany for this job
German occupation used: Koch/Köchin (Cook), occupation code KldB 2010 29302. This is a national figure for all of Germany, before tax and social contributions, including extras such as holiday and Christmas pay.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Entgeltatlas (employment statistics), reference date 31 December 2025. Full-time employees subject to social insurance only; civil servants, self-employed people and apprentices are not included. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
Pay in the UK for this job
UK occupation used: Cooks (SOC 2020 code 5435). Placeivo matched this to ISCO-08 5120 by job title and duties; the UK and international occupation lists do not line up exactly. National figure for the whole United Kingdom, in pounds sterling (GBP), before income tax and National Insurance.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by 4-digit SOC 2020): tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross) and 14.1a (weekly pay, gross), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom. Weekly pay is for April 2025; annual pay is for the tax year ending 5 April 2025, employees in the same job for at least a year. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
UK Skilled Worker visa for this job
This occupation (UK code 5435, Cooks) is not eligible for the Skilled Worker visa, according to the GOV.UK list of eligible occupations. Placeivo matched this UK code to ISCO-08 5120 by job title; the lists do not line up exactly.
This is a summary of official rules, not legal advice. Rules change and some people (for example those already on a Skilled Worker visa) have different rules. Always check GOV.UK before you apply.
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK tables "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes" and "Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes", updated 2025-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-15. General minimum salary from GOV.UK "Skilled Worker visa: Your job", checked 2026-10-15.
Compare UK visa going rates by job · Eligible occupations (GOV.UK) · Going rates (GOV.UK) · Salary rules (GOV.UK)
Latest cooks job ads
Real vacancies from the official public employment services, updated daily. Job titles are translated into English automatically; the full ad opens on the official site in German or Swedish (your browser's translate button turns it into English).
Germany
9,454 open ads- Cook
German title: Koch
Baumhove Hotel-Restaurant "Am Markt" · Werne · Posted 2026-10-18 - Cook
German title: Koch
Vermaat Deutschland Services GmbH · Köln · Posted 2026-10-18 - Cook m/f
German title: Koch / Köchin
Evelyne Meier Waldcamping Birkendorf · Ühlingen-Birkendorf · Posted 2026-10-18 - Cook
German title: Koch
Aramark Deutschland · Hamburg · Posted 2026-10-18 - Cook
German title: Koch
Aramark Deutschland · Glatten · Posted 2026-10-17 - Cook
German title: Koch
Aiden by Best Western Biberach · Biberach an der Riß · Posted 2026-10-17
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany
Sweden
675 open ads- Asian Wok Chef
Swedish title: Asiatiska Wok Kock
Yongfu AB · Lidingö · Posted 2026-10-18 - Chefs to Idöborg spring and summer 2027
Swedish title: Kockar till Idöborg vår och sommar 2027
Idöborg AB · Värmdö · Posted 2026-10-18 - Boston Grill Chef
Swedish title: Kock till Boston Grill
Nya Sportbaren i Norrköping AB · Norrköping · Posted 2026-10-17 - Sushi Chef Roppongi Sushi and Grill
Swedish title: Sushikock Roppongi Sushi and Grill
BJ Sushi Grill City AB · Posted 2026-10-17 - Chef for pom Friterie
Swedish title: kock till Pom Friterie
Potato Shop N1 AB · Stockholm · Posted 2026-10-16 - Sushi chef to Östersund
Swedish title: Sushikock till Östersund
Sushi Bar i Östersund AB · Östersund · Posted 2026-10-16
Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden
Where cooks are needed in Europe
| Country | EURES 2025 | Average gross pay, all service and sales workers (2022) | 1-bed rent in the capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Shortage | Not yet verified | Brussels: €1,150 |
| Bulgaria | Shortage | €510 a month | Sofia: €650 |
| Cyprus | Shortage | Not yet verified | Nicosia: €750 |
| Czechia | Shortage | €1,124 a month | Prague: €1,250 |
| Denmark | Shortage | €3,491 a month * | Copenhagen: €1,800 |
| Germany | Shortage | €2,479 a month | Berlin: €1,350 |
| Greece | Shortage | €1,166 a month * | Athens: €1,150 |
| Hungary | Shortage | €839 a month * | Budapest: €910 |
| Italy | Shortage | €2,003 a month * | Rome: €1,300 |
| Lithuania | Shortage | €1,166 a month | Vilnius: €830 |
| Luxembourg | Shortage | Not yet verified | Luxembourg: €1,900 |
| Netherlands | Shortage | €2,491 a month | Not yet verified |
| Norway | Shortage | €3,853 a month | Oslo: €2,000 |
| Romania | Shortage | €767 a month * | Not yet verified |
| Slovakia | Shortage | €1,090 a month | Bratislava: €910 |
| Slovenia | Shortage | €1,527 a month | Ljubljana: €950 |
| Sweden | Shortage | €2,906 a month * | Stockholm: €2,100 |
| Finland | Surplus | €2,706 a month * | Helsinki: €1,150 |
| Latvia | Surplus | €928 a month | Riga: €870 |
| Portugal | Surplus | €1,014 a month * | Lisbon: €1,400 |
Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all service and sales workers in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for cooks alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.
What cooks do
Cooks plan, organize, prepare and cook meals, according to recipes or under the supervision of chefs, in hotels, restaurants and other eating places, on board ships, on passenger trains and in private households.
Typical tasks
- Planning meals, preparing and cooking foodstuffs
- Planning, supervising and coordinating the work of kitchen helpers
- Checking the quality of food
- Weighing, measuring and mixing ingredients according to recipes and personal judgement
- Regulating the temperature of ovens, grills, roasters and other cooking equipment
- Inspecting and cleaning the kitchen, kitchen equipment and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food handling practices
- Operating large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers or griddles
Finding cooks jobs in Europe
- EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Cook".
- Some jobs are regulated professions: before you can work, your qualification may need to be recognised in the new country.
- If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you will usually need a work permit or a visa such as the EU Blue Card. Check the rules of the country's immigration authority.
Cost of living where the jobs are
Take-home pay needed to rent a good 1-bedroom flat in the capitals of countries reporting a shortage:
About this data
- Shortage and surplus: European Labour Authority, EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annex table 21 (published 2026). Each country's public employment service reports which occupations it finds hard to fill or in oversupply. Countries not listed did not report this occupation as either.
- Definition, tasks and job titles: International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure and definitions.
- Pay: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_48), by occupation group. Germany, this exact job: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Entgeltatlas (median pay of full-time employees). United Kingdom, closest UK occupation: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (median pay of full-time employees).
- Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.