Production
Helpers--Production Workers
Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Helpers--Production Workers
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Helpers--Production Workers. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$39,070USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$18.78USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $31,140 | $14.97 |
| 25th | $35,220 | $16.93 |
| 50th · Median | $39,070 | $18.78 |
| 75th | $45,990 | $22.11 |
| 90th | $53,410 | $25.68 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Abrasive Mixer HelperAircraft Machinist HelperAnnealer HelperAssembly Inspector HelperAssembly Line WorkerAutomatic Pad Making Machine Operator HelperAutomotive Painter HelperBag Machine Operator HelperBaggage HandlerBander Machine HelperBarrel Assembler HelperBarrel Charrer Helper
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Typical tasks
- Lift raw materials, finished products, and packed items, manually or using hoists.
- Mark or tag identification on parts.
- Observe equipment operations so that malfunctions can be detected, and notify operators of any malfunctions.
- Count finished products to determine if product orders are complete.
- Examine products to verify conformance to quality standards.
- Operate machinery used in the production process, or assist machine operators.
Expand more tasks (28)
- Load and unload items from machines, conveyors, and conveyances.
- Remove products, machine attachments, or waste material from machines.
- Separate products according to weight, grade, size, or composition of materials used to produce them.
- Pack and store materials and products.
- Wash work areas, machines, equipment, vehicles, or products.
- Place products in equipment or on work surfaces for further processing, inspecting, or wrapping.
- Transfer finished products, raw materials, tools, or equipment between storage and work areas of plants and warehouses, by hand or using hand trucks or powered lift trucks.
- Help production workers by performing duties of lesser skill, such as supplying or holding materials or tools, or cleaning work areas and equipment.
- Prepare raw materials for processing.
- Read gauges or charts, and record data obtained.
- Start machines or equipment to begin production processes.
- Record information, such as the number of products tested, meter readings, or dates and times of product production.
- Turn valves to regulate flow of liquids or air, to reverse machines, to start pumps, or to regulate equipment.
- Tie products in bundles for further processing or shipment, following prescribed procedures.
- Measure amounts of products, lengths of extruded articles, or weights of filled containers to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Signal coworkers to direct them to move products during the production process.
- Position spouts or chutes of storage bins so that containers can be filled.
- Attach slings, ropes, or cables to objects such as pipes, hoses, or bundles.
- Break up defective products for reprocessing.
- Perform minor repairs to machines, such as replacing damaged or worn parts.
- Fold products and product parts during processing.
- Cut or break flashing from materials or products.
- Change machine gears, using wrenches.
- Clean and lubricate equipment.
- Dump materials such as prepared ingredients into machine hoppers prior to mixing.
- Unclamp and hoist full reels from braiding, winding, or other fabricating machines, using power hoists.
- Mix ingredients according to specified procedures or formulas.
- Thread ends of items such as thread, cloth, and lace through needles and rollers, and around take-up tubes.
Skills used in this work
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Expand more skills (29)
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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