Hand Laborers and Material Movers

Summary

Some laborers help move goods from ships into storage facilities.

Quick Facts: Hand Laborers and Material Movers
2010 Median Pay	$22,560 per year $10.85 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Less than high school
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	3,315,400
Job Outlook, 2010-20	14% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	465,500

What Hand Laborers and Material Movers Do

Hand laborers and material movers transport objects without using machines. Some workers move freight, stock, or other materials around storage facilities; others clean vehicles; some pick up unwanted household goods; and still others pack materials for moving.

Work Environment

Most hand laborers and material movers work full time. In addition, most work 8-hour shifts, although longer shifts and overtime are common.

How to Become a Hand Laborer or Material Mover

Generally, hand laborers and material movers need no work experience or minimum level of education. Employers require only that applicants be physically able to do the work.

Pay

The median annual wage of hand laborers and material movers was $22,560 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of hand laborers and material movers is projected to grow 14 percent from 2010 to 2020, as fast as the average for all occupations. Job prospects should be good because the need to replace workers who leave the occupations should create a large number of job openings.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of hand laborers and material movers with similar occupations.

O*NET

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about hand laborers and material movers by contacting these additional resources.

What Hand Laborers and Material Movers Do About this section

Some laborers work as baggers at grocery stores.

Hand laborers and material movers transport objects without using machines. Some workers move freight, stock, or other materials around storage facilities; others clean vehicles; some pick up unwanted household goods; and still others pack materials for moving.

Duties

Hand laborers and material movers typically do the following:

• Manually move material from one place to another
• Pack or wrap material by hand
• Keep a record of the material they move
• Use signals to assist machine operators who are moving larger pieces of material, when necessary

In warehouses and wholesale and retail operations, hand material movers work closely with material-moving machine operators and material recording clerks. Automatic sensors and tags are increasingly being used to track items that allow these employees to work faster. Some workers are employed in manufacturing industries in which they load material onto conveyor belts or other machines.

The following are some examples of hand laborers and material movers:

Laborers and hand freight, stock, and material movers move materials to and from storage and production areas, loading docks, delivery trucks, ships, and containers. Most of these movers work in warehouses, although their specific duties vary. Some workers, called pickers, find products in storage and transport them to the loading area. Other workers load and unload cargo from a truck. Sometimes they open containers and sort the material.

Hand packers and packagers package a variety of materials by hand. They may label cartons, inspect items for defects, and record items packed. Some of these workers pack materials for shipment and transport them to a loading dock. Others work in retail as gift wrappers. Many hand packers are employed by grocery stores, where they bag groceries for customers at checkout.

Machine feeders and offbearers process materials by feeding them into equipment or by removing materials from equipment. This equipment is generally operated by other workers, such as material-moving machine operators. Machine feeders and offbearers might help the operator if the machine becomes jammed or needs minor repairs. Machine feeders track the amount of material they process during a shift.

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment clean automobiles and other vehicles, as well as storage tanks, pipelines, and related machinery. They use cleaning products, vacuums, hoses, and brushes. Most of these workers clean cars at a carwash, automobile dealership, or rental agency. Some clean industrial equipment at manufacturing firms.

Refuse and recyclable material collectors gather garbage and recyclables from homes and businesses to transport to a dump, landfill, or recycling center. Many collectors lift garbage cans by hand and empty them into their truck. Some collectors drive the garbage or recycling truck along a scheduled route. When collecting materials from a dumpster, drivers use a hydraulic lift to empty contents of the dumpster into their truck.

Work Environment About this section

Many refuse and recyclable material collectors work for local governments.

Hand laborers and material movers held about 3.3 million jobs in 2010. They work in a variety of industries.

The work of hand laborers and material movers is usually repetitive and physically demanding. Workers may lift and carry heavy objects. They bend, kneel, crouch, or crawl in awkward positions.

Laborers and hand, freight, stock, and material movers work in the following industries:

Injuries

Some material moving jobs can be dangerous. Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, as well as refuse and recyclable material collectors, have some of the highest rates of injury and illness of all occupations. When hand laborers and freight, stock and material movers move heavy objects around a warehouse or onto trucks, accidents can happen, which could cause injury. Because refuse and recyclable material collectors drive so much to complete their rounds, they are vulnerable to traffic accidents. 

Some vehicle and equipment cleaners work with heavy machinery, which also can lead to injury. However, these jobs have become less dangerous as safety equipment and regulations have improved. For protection, many workers wear safety equipment, such as gloves or hard hats.

Work Schedules

Most hand laborers and material movers work full time. In addition, most work 8-hour shifts, although longer shifts and overtime are common. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some workers, especially those in warehousing, work overnight shifts.

How to Become a Hand Laborer or Material Mover About this section

Some laborers and material movers work at car washes.

Generally, hand laborers and material movers need no work experience or minimum level of education. Employers require only that applicants be physically able to do the work.

Education

Some employers may prefer to hire workers who have a high school diploma, although it is generally not required for these jobs.

Training

Most of these positions require less than 1 month of on-the-job training. Some workers need only a few days of training. Certain hand freight, stock, and material movers and refuse and recyclable material collectors have up to 3 months of training. Most training is done by a supervisor or a more experienced worker who decides when trainees are ready to work on their own.

Workers learn a safety rules as part of their training. Many of these rules are standardized through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Workers who handle hazardous materials receive additional training.

Licenses

Depending on the size of the truck, refuse and recyclable material collectors who drive the truck may have to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Getting a CDL requires passing written, skills, and vision tests.

Advancement

Many of these workers advance to other jobs. Some become material-moving machine operators; others become construction laborers or production workers. In warehousing or retail, experienced workers can move to other parts of the company, such as sales.

Important Qualities

Customer-service skills. Laborers and material handlers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers.

Listening skills. Laborers and material movers often need to follow instructions that a supervisor gives them.

Physical strength. Some workers must be able to lift heavy objects throughout the day.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of hand laborers and material movers was $22,560 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $16,600, and the top 10 percent earned more than $37,700 in May 2010.

The median wages of hand laborers and material moving occupations in May 2010 were the following:

• $32,640 for refuse and recyclable material collectors
• $27,000 for machine feeders and offbearers
• $23,460 for laborers and hand freight, stock, and material movers
• $19,680 for cleaners of vehicles and equipment
• $19,630 for hand packers and packagers

Most hand laborers and material movers work full time. In addition, most work 8-hour shifts, although longer shifts and overtime are common. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some workers, especially those in warehousing, work overnight shifts.

Job Outlook About this section

Overall employment of hand laborers and material movers is projected to grow 14 percent from 2010 to 2020, as fast as the average of all occupations.

Projected employment change for specific groups of workers within this occupation is as follows:

• Employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors is expected to grow 20 percent from 2010 to 2020. Trash collection will continue to grow as population and income grow, and collectors will be needed to remove trash. An increase in recycling collection is expected to drive the rapid growth of this occupation.
• Employment of cleaners of vehicles and equipment is projected to increase 19 percent from 2010 to 2020. Faster than average growth in automobile dealers, where many of these workers are employed is expected to drive employment growth for this occupation. However, a decline in the use of full-service carwashes in favor of automatic conveyors may to limit their job growth somewhat.
• Employment of laborers and hand, freight, stock, and material movers is projected to increase by 15 percent from 2010 to 2020. The need for warehouses is expected to grow as consumer spending increases. However, greater automation will increase the efficiency of hand material movers. Most warehouses are installing equipment, such as high-speed conveyors and sorting systems and robotic pickers, that decreases the number of workers needed.
• Employment of hand packers and packagers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2010 to 2020. A decline in the use of baggers in grocery stores, where many workers are employed, is expected to dampen growth in this occupation. An increase in the use of self-service technology, such as self-checkout, and the growing number of cashiers who also bag groceries are contributing to the decline in baggers. However, those employed in warehouses are expected to see some employment growth.
• Employment of machine feeders and offbearers is expected to experience little or no change from 2010 to 2020. They are heavily employed in declining manufacturing industries in which automation is further decreasing the need for these workers. Additionally, other workers who operate the machines are increasingly doing the tasks of these workers.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for hand laborers and material movers should be favorable. Despite slower growth in these occupations, the need to replace workers who leave the occupations should create a large number of job openings. As automation increases, the technology used by workers in some of these occupations will become more complex. Employers will likely prefer workers who are comfortable using technology such as tablet computers and handheld scanners.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about hand laborers and material movers, visit

Material Handling Industry of America

The Warehousing Education and Research Council