Fast Food Preparers: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)

Fast Food Preparers is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 9411) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.

  • Fast food cook
  • Hamburger maker
  • Pizza maker
  • Short order cook
14European countries report a shortage (EURES 2025)
2countries report a surplus
814open job ads right now in Germany and Sweden
9411ISCO-08 occupation code
Short answerIn the 2025 EURES report on labour shortages, 14 European countries reported a shortage of fast food preparers: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. 2 reported a surplus: Austria and Latvia.

Latest fast food preparers 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

692 open ads

Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany

Sweden

122 open ads

Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden

Where fast food preparers are needed in Europe

CountryEURES 2025Average gross pay, all workers in elementary occupations (2022)1-bed rent in the capital
BulgariaShortage€488 a monthSofia: €650
CyprusShortage€1,190 a monthNicosia: €750
CzechiaShortage€952 a monthPrague: €1,250
GermanyShortage€2,150 a monthBerlin: €1,350
GreeceShortage€1,130 a month *Athens: €1,150
HungaryShortage€683 a month *Budapest: €910
LithuaniaShortage€1,001 a monthVilnius: €830
LuxembourgShortage€2,963 a month *Luxembourg: €1,900
NetherlandsShortage€1,983 a monthNot yet verified
RomaniaShortage€720 a month *Not yet verified
SlovakiaShortage€910 a monthBratislava: €910
SloveniaShortage€1,368 a monthLjubljana: €950
SpainShortage€1,523 a monthMadrid: €1,300
SwedenShortage€2,611 a month *Stockholm: €2,100
AustriaSurplus€2,243 a month *Vienna: €1,250
LatviaSurplus€908 a monthRiga: €870

Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all workers in elementary occupations in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for fast food preparers alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.

What fast food preparers do

Fast food preparers prepare and cook to order a limited range of foods or beverages that involve simple preparation processes and a small number of ingredients. They may take orders from customers and serve at counters or tables.

Typical tasks

  • Preparing simple or pre-prepared foods and beverages such as sandwiches, hamburgers, pizzas, fish and chips, salads and coffee
  • Washing, cutting, measuring and mixing foods for cooking
  • Operating large-volume single-process cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers or griddles
  • Re-heating pre-prepared food
  • Cleaning food preparation areas, cooking surfaces and utensils
  • Taking and serving food and beverage orders in eating places that specialize in fast service and carry-out food
  • Ordering and taking delivery of fast food ingredients
  • Maintaining sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas
  • Verifying that prepared food meets requirements for quality and quantity

Finding fast food preparers jobs in Europe

  • EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Pizza maker".
  • 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.
  • Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.

See all jobs in demand in Europe · Methodology