jobfacts

Coffee shop workers

SOC 2020 9266

Coffee shop workers make and serve coffee, food and other beverages in coffee shops and cafés, and perform various cleaning, fetching and carrying tasks.

Also calledBaristaCoffee stall attendantCoffee barmanCoffee maidCoffee shop assistantCoffee room maidand 2 more titles
Typical full-time pay£21,6002025 Provisional
People in the job79,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,600↓ 8.4%on last year · 122nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time coffee shop workers earn, 2025
£21,600 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£21,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £21,600
London!£24,500
Scotland!£22,200
North West!£20,500
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £21,600
London£24,500 (small sample)
Scotland£22,200 (small sample)
North West£20,500 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £19,200
  • 2024 £20,600
  • 2025 Provisional£21,600
↑ 13% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,600 jobs for coffee shop workers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,614
Jul 20261,697
Jun 20261,398
May 20261,742
Apr 20261,615
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,561
Jan 20261,491
Dec 2025707
Nov 20251,615
Oct 20251,811
Sept 20252,110
Aug 20252,143
Jul 20251,720
Jun 20251,609
May 20251,757
Apr 20251,570
Mar 20251,800
Feb 20251,635
Jan 20251,660
Dec 2024857
Nov 20241,642
Oct 20242,114
Sept 20242,252
Aug 20242,046
Jul 20241,965
Jun 20241,712
May 20242,220
Apr 20241,894
Mar 20241,465
Feb 20241,361
Jan 20241,427
Dec 2023696
Nov 2023626
Oct 2023825
Sept 20231,122
Aug 20231,558
Jul 20231,211
Jun 20232,137
May 20232,264
Apr 20231,829
Mar 20232,054
Feb 20231,865
Jan 20232,116
Dec 20221,466
Nov 20221,827
Oct 20222,413
Sept 20222,177
Aug 20222,072
Jul 20222,144
Jun 20222,034
May 20222,263
Apr 20222,241
Mar 20222,603
Feb 20221,788
Jan 20222,226
Dec 20211,438
Nov 20212,049
Oct 20212,394
Sept 20212,473
Aug 20212,209
Jul 20211,784
Jun 20211,582
May 20211,587
Apr 2021510
Mar 2021822
Feb 2021168
Jan 2021105
Dec 2020178
Nov 2020270
Oct 2020526
Sept 2020330
Aug 2020247
Jul 2020193
Jun 2020280
May 2020117
Apr 2020129
Mar 2020461
Feb 2020934
Jan 2020793
Dec 2019576
Nov 2019792
Oct 20191,025
Sept 2019836
Aug 2019798
Jul 2019632
Jun 2019582
May 2019614
Apr 2019334
Mar 2019334
Feb 2019450
Jan 2019546
Dec 2018384
Nov 2018624
Oct 2018815
Sept 2018884
Aug 2018688
Jul 2018518
Jun 2018491
May 2018417
Apr 2018463
Mar 2018497
Feb 2018420
Jan 2018635
Dec 2017278
Nov 2017450
Oct 2017574
Sept 2017594
Aug 2017798
Jul 2017546
Jun 2017758
May 2017861
Apr 2017814
Mar 2017720
Feb 2017505
Jan 2017480
Is there a shortage of coffee shop workers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedWell above usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
6.4%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London736
Manchester66
City of Edinburgh64
Somerset63
North Yorkshire57
Leeds55
Cornwall49
Birmingham47
Glasgow City45
Bristol, City of44
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where coffee shop workers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of coffee shop workers
64%
26%!
n/p
5%!
2.2%!
1.3%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2464%
25–3426% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–545% (small sample)
55–642.2% (small sample)
65+1.3% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent24%
Higher education below degree!3.3%
A levels or equivalent37%
GCSEs or equivalent26%
Other qualifications!5.4%
No qualifications!2.4%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent24%
Higher education below degree3.3% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent37%
GCSEs or equivalent26%
Other qualifications5.4% (small sample)
No qualifications2.4% (small sample)

Main employers: restaurants and mobile food service activities (66%), other retail sale of food in specialised stores (9.6%), event catering activities (4.6%), retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (2%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
24%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 37%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

Although not essential, you could do a college course that would give you some of the skills needed for this role. Courses include:

  • barista skills
  • food and beverage service
  • retail skills
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Catering and Hospitality Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship, or Food and Beverage Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

These combine on-the-job training and time spent with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More about this route
Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

  • have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
  • are in care or have been in care
  • are in prison or have been in prison

Other ways in

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs. When you start, you're employer will put you through training in barista skills and product knowledge.

Some employers may prefer you to have experience in customer service, retail sales or catering.

Other routes

You could train in barista skills with a professional organisation, like the Specialty Coffee Association.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Skills such as teamwork, flexibility and good customer service are highly valued by employers, along with a positive outlook.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for barista. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • takes customer orders, makes and serves coffee and other refreshments
  • receives payment for drinks and gives change
  • cleans and tidies service area, kitchen surfaces, crockery, cutlery, glassware, kitchen utensils and disposes of rubbish
  • keeps service area well stocked

Skills

  • clear the bar at closing time
  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • detect drug abuse
  • display spirits
  • enforce alcohol drinking laws
  • execute opening and closing procedures
  • handle bar equipment
  • handle glassware
  • handover the service area
  • identify customer's needs
  • maintain bar cleanliness
  • maintain customer service
  • prepare hot drinks
  • present drinks menu

Knowledge

  • local area tourism industry
  • sparkling wines

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary administration and service occupations, a group of 26 jobs that includes coffee shop workers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 1.5%about 48,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351.5 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.