Food Preparation and Serving · Holland code RC
Dishwashers
Clean dishes, kitchen, food preparation equipment, or utensils.
Also called: Busser, Dishwasher, Kitchen Steward, Steward, Dish Machine Operator (DMO), Dish Room Worker, Dish Runner, Dish Technician (Dish Tech).
O*NET 35-9021.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $34,810
- Middle half earn $29,690 to $37,440. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 56% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand.
- Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition.
- Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas.
- Sweep or scrub floors.
- Load or unload trucks that deliver or pick up food or supplies.
- Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars.
- Clean or prepare various foods for cooking or serving.
- Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening2.6 / 5
- Speaking2.5 / 5
- Critical Thinking2.5 / 5
- Monitoring2.5 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.0 / 5
- Learning Strategies2.0 / 5
Knowledge areas
- English Language3.2 / 5
- Food Production2.8 / 5
- Education and Training2.5 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service2.4 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.3 / 5
- Administration and Management1.9 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative0
- Artistic0
- Social14
- Enterprising7
- Conventional58
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- industrial cook · DE Industriekoch/Industrieköchin · FR cuisinier industriel/cuisinière industrielle
- club host/club hostess · DE Gästebetreuer Club/Gästebetreuerin Club · FR animateur de club/animatrice de club
- aircraft groomer · DE Flugzeugkabinenreiniger/Flugzeugkabinenreinigerin · FR agent de nettoyage avion/agente de nettoyage avion
- toilet attendant · DE Toiletten-Reinigungskraft · FR gardien de toilettes/gardienne de toilettes
- vehicle cleaner · DE Fahrzeugreiniger/Fahrzeugreinigerin · FR laveur de véhicules/laveuse de véhicules
- window cleaner · DE Fensterputzer/Fensterputzerin · FR laveur de vitres/laveuse de vitres
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Hospital porters (9262)25,200 employed
- Window cleaners (9221)22,400 employed
- Kitchen and catering assistants (9263)424,300 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Elementary occupations”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €29,579 |
| Sweden | €28,305 |
| Austria | €27,215 |
| Netherlands | €24,577 |
| Ireland | €24,331 |
| Germany | €22,430 |
| Italy | €22,101 |
| France | €21,664 |
| Spain | €17,502 |
| Portugal | €9,424 |
| Poland | €7,534 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.74. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (35-9021).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
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