Hand laborers and material movers held about 4.2 million jobs in 2018. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up hand laborers and material movers was distributed as follows:
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 2,953,800 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 673,400 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 408,500 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | 133,000 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers | 66,200 |
The largest employers of hand laborers and material movers were as follows:
| Transportation and warehousing | 23% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 22 |
| Manufacturing | 13 |
| Wholesale trade | 13 |
Hand laborers and material movers lift and carry heavy objects, and their work is usually repetitive and physically demanding. They bend, kneel, crouch, or crawl in awkward positions.
Injuries and Illnesses
Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers and refuse and recyclable material collectors have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Moving heavy objects around warehouses or onto trucks, or bending while cleaning a vehicle, may lead to sprains, strains, or overexertion.
Work Schedules
Most hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers work full time.
Shifts longer than 8 hours are common, and sometimes overtime is available. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some workers, especially those in warehousing, work overnight shifts.
There are usually no formal educational requirements for anyone to become a hand laborer or material mover. Employers typically require only that applicants be physically able to perform the work.
Education
There are no formal educational requirements for anyone to become a hand laborer or material mover.
Training
Most positions for hand laborers and material movers require less than 1 month of on-the-job training. Some workers need only a few days of training, and 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 safety rules as part of their training. Many of these rules are standardized through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Refuse and recyclable material collectors who drive trucks that exceed a certain capacity—such as vehicles with the combined weight of the vehicle, passengers, and cargo exceeding 26,000 pounds—must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Obtaining a CDL requires passing written, skill, and vision tests.
Hand laborers and material movers typically have an interest in the Building interest area, according to the Holland Code framework. The Building interest area indicates a focus on working with tools and machines, and making or fixing practical things.
If you are not sure whether you have a Building interest which might fit with a career as a hand laborer and material mover, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Hand laborers and material movers should also possess the following specific 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.
Hand-eye coordination. Most laborers and material handlers have to be able to use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions.
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.
The median annual wage for hand laborers and material movers was $28,710 in May 2019. 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 $20,800, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $46,050.
Median annual wages for hand laborers and material movers in May 2019 were as follows:
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | $37,840 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers | 31,180 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 29,510 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 25,910 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 25,800 |
In May 2019, the median annual wages for hand laborers and material movers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Wholesale trade | $31,060 |
| Manufacturing | 30,610 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 30,300 |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 26,480 |
Some hand laborers and material movers, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, may receive tips.
Most hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers work full time.
Shifts longer than 8 hours are common, and sometimes overtime is available. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some workers, especially those in warehousing, work overnight shifts.
Overall employment of hand laborers and material movers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Projected employment changes will vary by occupation.
Employment of hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers—about two-thirds of all the workers in this profile—is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Although some warehouses are installing equipment such as high-speed conveyors and sorting systems to increase efficiency, these workers will still be needed to move materials in nearly all sectors of the economy.
Employment of hand packers and packagers is projected to decline 3 percent from 2018 to 2028. Grocery stores, which employ many hand packers and packagers, may employ fewer baggers as a growing number of stores have self-checkouts where customers or existing cashiers bag groceries themselves. Automation is becoming more viable in warehouses and, if it expands, will reduce the need for workers there.
Employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors is projected to grow 8 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Trash collection activity should be expected to increase as the population grows, and collectors will be needed to remove trash.
Employment of cleaners of vehicles and equipment is projected to grow 6 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand for automotive repair and maintenance services, as well as a growing automobile dealers industry, is expected to contribute to employment growth of cleaners of vehicles and equipment.
Employment of machine feeders and offbearers is projected to show little or no change from 2018 to 2028. Many of these workers are employed in manufacturing industries, in which functions are being automated, so employment is expected to remain unchanged.
Job Prospects
Job prospects for hand laborers and material movers are expected to be good. The need to replace workers who leave these occupations should create a large number of job openings.
For more information about hand laborers and material movers, visit
Warehousing Education and Research Council