When you think of a career in foodservice, the first thought that usually comes to mind is a life as a waiter. But that’s only scratching the surface of the vast number of opportunities in the food and beverage industry—opportunities that can only be accessed by those willing to put in the hours and effort in climbing the ladder.
And the results will surely be worth it, as JobStreet reports that the highest paying jobs in foodservice can match the salaries of those at the highest rungs of the corporate ladder. What we learned, mostly, is that if you’re in the food industry already, you’ve made a good move.
According to JobStreet data, the six highest paying jobs in Philippine foodservice are the following:
The data is based on the job listings on JobStreet, which is a leading online employment platform in Southeast Asia. JobStreet Philippines country manager Philip Gioca notes the trend of senior roles that require several years of experience and a specific skill set to qualify.
“Among these jobs, the smallest population are the business-related roles and the largest population are sous chef roles,” says Gioca. While chef roles offer the most openings, management roles take four of the six spots on the list.
Gioca also says that the job openings include both local and international brands, with international brands taking up the bulk of the openings. Most jobs are centralized in Metro Manila, but there is also a growing demand for foodservice jobs in cities like Cebu and Davao.
Siargao is also a notable place as the tourism boom in the area has led to a rise in demand in the foodservice industry. “If we see the trend that hotels and leisure places are actually increasing, the demand for jobs also increases, followed by the demand for more talents to be there,” says Gioca. “It’s still a continuous growth we see.”
The growth of the industry mirrors the potential growth for careers as workers who rise through the ranks may occupy niche positions at the top of the ladder. Gioca talks about how the career progression may be challenging, particularly for sous chefs. The fact is, every career requires you to start somewhere and in the food industry, that means starting out as a crew.
But in the ecosystem of foodservice, starting from the bottom may be worth it in the end when the maximum salary posted on JobStreet is pushing at P250,000, or more than $4,000, a month.
“That’s a really lucrative salary to get. It’s equal to or sometimes higher than a vice president of a corporation,” says Gioca.
There are Executive Pastry Chefs who are getting higher salary than Executive Sous Chef.