← Hospitality and personal services
Hospitality worker
Provide front-of-house service in cafes, restaurants, hotels and event venues.
Registration: RSA / RSG required for any alcohol or gambling service
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Cafe Workers (4312) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1148 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Cafe Worker (431211), the closest official match for hospitality worker, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 38,500
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 23%
- Average full-time hours
- 41 a week
- Women
- 77%
- Median age
- 23
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 29.4% |
| VIC | 20.5% |
| QLD | 24.2% |
| WA | 14.8% |
| SA | 7.2% |
| TAS | 2.1% |
| ACT | 1.1% |
| NT | 0.8% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 2.1% |
| Bachelor degree | 8.6% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 6.8% |
| Certificate I-IV | 10.9% |
| Year 12 | 34.6% |
| Below Year 12 | 33.6% |
What a hospitality worker actually does
Hospitality workers run the front of house in cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels, function venues and quick-service chains. A cafe shift usually starts around 6am with set-up: turning on machines, polishing glassware and cutlery, brewing the first batch and laying out the morning pastry case. From the coffee rush through to lunch you take orders, run food, clear and reset tables, run the till and answer questions about the menu. Restaurant and pub shifts split the day across a lunch service finishing around 3pm and a dinner service starting at 5pm and running past 10pm. Hotels add room service, breakfast buffet and event functions on top. Most hospitality workers run 25-45 hours a week across casual or part-time contracts, with the busiest shifts being Friday and Saturday nights and weekend brunches. Pay is set by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 or the Restaurant Industry Award 2020 with weekend, public holiday and late-night penalty rates. Casuals get a 25% loading on top of the base hourly rate. The work is physical: on your feet for the whole shift, carrying plates and trays, working in tight spaces during service, and cleaning down at the end. Most people start here in high school or while studying; many step into bartending, supervision or hospitality management after a few years.
Typical tasks
- Take orders and serve customers.
- Operate POS and process payments.
- Maintain cleanliness and stock front-of-house.
Skills you'll use
- Customer service and remembering regulars
- Point-of-sale and contactless payments
- Carrying multiple plates and drinks without spilling
- Food and wine product knowledge
- Responsible Service of Alcohol where the venue serves drinks
- Working a section of tables and timing courses correctly
- Handling complaints calmly and getting a manager when needed
- Cleaning, restocking and closing down the venue
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 9 at minimum; most hospitality workers start in part-time and casual roles while still at school
- 2Complete the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) ticket if you want to work anywhere that serves alcohol
- 3Get a first job as a cafe runner, glassy, dishwasher or function attendant to learn pace
- 4Step up to a barista, waiter, or front-of-house all-rounder role
- 5Consider a Certificate II or III in Hospitality at TAFE or as a school-based traineeship if you want to formalise the skills
- 6Move into supervisor, duty manager or bartender if you want a clear next step in pay and responsibility
Where you can work
- Cafes and breakfast venues
- Restaurants and bistros
- Pubs, clubs and gaming venues
- Hotel restaurants, bars and room service
- Function, conference and wedding centres
- Quick-service restaurant chains
- Sporting and event venues
- Cruise ships and resorts
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Junior or casual hospitality worker0-2 yearsTypical roles: Cafe all-rounder, Glassy, Function attendant, Quick-service team member
- Experienced front-of-house2-5 yearsTypical roles: Waiter, Barista, Bar attendant, Front-of-house team leader
- Supervisor or duty manager5+ yearsTypical roles: Duty manager, Restaurant supervisor, Venue manager
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You enjoy fast-paced people-facing work
- You can stay friendly when you're tired or busy
- You're comfortable working evenings, weekends and public holidays
- You can hold five tables and three drink orders in your head at once
- You take feedback without taking it personally
This might not suit you if
- You want a sit-down office job with predictable hours
- You can't stay polite when a customer is rude or drunk
- You want every weekend and public holiday off
- You're not physically up to a long shift on your feet
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for hospitality worker. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.