Employers in almost all industries hire individuals at the entry level. These workers assist more skilled production, construction, operating, and maintenance workers, or perform tasks that do not require significant training. They perform a broad array of jobs, ranging from moving boxes and feeding machines to cleaning equipment and work areas. Many do tasks needed to make the work of more skilled employees flow smoothly. These workers often do routine, physical work under close supervision. They generally follow oral or written instructions from supervisors or more experienced workers, with little opportunity to make decisions. Helpers and laborers must be familiar with the duties of workers they help, as well as with the materials, tools, and machinery they use, in order to perform their jobs effectively.
Freight, stock, and material hand movers move materials to and from storage and production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles, ships' holds, and containers, either manually or with forklifts, dollies, handtrucks, or carts. Their specific duties vary by industry and work setting. In factories, they may move raw materials, components, and finished goods between work areas and to and from storage areas and loading docks. They receive and sort materials and supplies and prepare them according to work orders for delivery to work or storage areas. In grocery stores, they stock shelves, bag groceries, carry packages to customers' cars, and return shopping carts to designated areas.
Helpers assist construction trades workers, mechanics and repairers, and workers in production and extractive occupations. (Information on these occupations is given elsewhere in the Handbook.) They aid machine operators and tenders by moving materials, supplies, and tools to and from work areas. Some may tend machines during operation if an operator is not available. Helpers may sort finished products, keep records of machine processes, report malfunctions to operators, and clean machinery after use. Mechanics' helpers assist workers who repair motor vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical, electronic, and other equipment. They may furnish tools, materials, and supplies; hold materials or tools; take apart defective equipment; remove rivets; prepare replacement parts; or clean work areas.
Construction craft laborers provide much of the routine physical labor at highway, building, and demolition sites. They supply tools, materials, and equipment to carpenters, electricians, plasterers, masons, painters, plumbers, roofers, and other construction trades workers. They dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, and clean up rubble and debris. They operate jackhammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, buggies, front-end loaders, walk-behind ditchdiggers, small mechanical hoists, and laser beam equipment to align and grade ditches and tunnels. In addition to working on building and transportation projects, construction craft laborers work on other projects, such as hazardous waste cleanup and asbestos and lead abatement. Some laborers have job titles that indicate the work they do. Tenders for bricklayers and plasterers, for example, mix and supply materials, set up and move scaffolding, and provide other services.
Hand packers and packagers manually package or wrap materials. They may inspect items for defects, label cartons and stamp information on products, keep records of items packed, and stack packages on loading docks.
Machine feeders and offbearers feed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.
Service station attendants fill fuel tanks; wash windshields; change oil; repair tires; and replace belts, lights, windshield wipers, and other accessories on automobiles, buses, trucks, and other vehicles. Attendants collect payment for services and supplies.
Refuse collectors gather trash and garbage cans manually, or they may operate a hydraulic lift truck that picks up and empties dumpsters. They drive along a regularly scheduled route, and transport refuse to a dump or landfill.
Vehicle washers and equipment cleaners clean machinery, vehicles, storage tanks, pipelines, and similar equipment using water and other cleaning agents, vacuums, hoses, brushes, cloths, and other cleaning equipment.
Parking lot attendants assist customers in parking their cars in lots or storage areas and collect fees from customers.
Construction craft laborers operate a variety of power tools.
Most handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers do repetitive, physically demanding work. They may lift and carry heavy objects, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl in awkward positions. Some work at great heights, or outdoors in all weather conditions. Some jobs expose workers to harmful chemicals, fumes, odors, loud noise, or dangerous machinery, so these employees may need to wear safety clothing, such as gloves, hats, eye, mouth, and hearing protection, and must constantly observe safety procedures.
In many industries, handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers may have to work evening or graveyard shifts. Their shifts are often 8 hours, but sometimes 12. Handlers may stock shelves at night in grocery stores; service station and parking lot attendants may also work at night. Garbage collectors often work early morning shifts, starting at 5:00 or 6:00 A.M.
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers held about 4.5 million jobs in 1992. The following tabulation shows the makeup of this occupational group.
Freight, stock, and material movers, hand.....................845,000
Hand packers and packagers....................................685,000
Construction trades helpers...................................452,000
Machine feeders and offbearers................................255,000
Vehicle washers and equipment cleaners........................219,000
Service station attendants....................................190,000
Refuse collectors.............................................121,000
Parking lot attendants........................................ 63,000
All other helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand......1,621,000
They are employed throughout the country in virtually all industries, with the greatest numbers in manufacturing, construction, and wholesale and retail trade. Almost 1 out of 4 handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers works part time.
For most of these jobs, employers will hire people without work experience or specific training. Some require a high school diploma, others do not. Some jobs require union membership and have long waiting lists. For those jobs requiring physical exertion, employers look for physically fit workers and may require that applicants pass a physical exam. Some employers require mandatory drug testing prior to employment. For all jobs, employers look for people who are reliable and hard working. For those jobs that involve dealing with the public, such as grocery store helpers and garage and parking lot attendants, workers should be pleasant and tactful. Some jobs require literacy and basic mathematics skills to read billing and other records and collect payment for services from customers. Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers are often younger than workers in other occupations reflecting the limited training but significant physical requirements of these jobs.
Generally, handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers learn skills informally from more experienced workers or supervisors. Workers who use dangerous equipment or toxic chemicals often receive training in safety awareness and procedures. In many of these jobs, workers may become trainees or qualify directly for jobs as construction trades workers; machine operators, assemblers, or other production workers; transportation, material moving equipment, or vehicle operators; or mechanics or repairers. Some become supervisors of handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers. In fact, many employers prefer not to hire workers for mechanic, construction trade, production, or similar occupations. Rather, they hire handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers, and promote qualified workers as openings arise.
Job openings should be numerous for handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers because the occupation is very large and turnover is relatively high characteristic of occupations that require little formal training. Although employment is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2005, employment change for individual occupations will vary. Among service station attendants, for example, a decline in employment has been projected; vehicle washers and equipment cleaners can expect average employment growth; and parking lot attendants are projected to experience faster than average growth.
Demand for handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers will depend on growth of the industries that employ these workers, as well as growth of the skilled workers whom they assist. For example, the average employment growth projected for construction craft laborers reflects the average growth expected for the construction industry and for construction trades workers. Employment growth among handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers may be spurred by the Nation's emphasis on hazardous waste cleanup and other environmental projects, and on rebuilding infrastructure roads, bridges, tunnels, and communications facilities, for instance.
Employment growth also is affected by automation. Some of these jobs are repetitive and, therefore, easily replaced by new machines and equipment that can improve productivity and quality control. Automated material handling equipment, such as conveyor belts and computer-controlled lift mechanisms and machines that automatically load, unload, and package materials, will be increasingly used, eliminating some helper, handler, and hand packer and packager jobs. As more skilled jobs become automated or partially automated, such as those of assemblers, demand for these employees will decline, as will demand for workers who assist them. Some workers, however, such as construction craft laborers, are not easily replaced by automation because of the varied nature of their jobs.
In addition to automation, many employers have adopted cost cutting measures such as job combinations, in which one employee performs the work previously done by two different types of workers. This may cause displacement of handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers because their jobs may be assumed by more highly skilled workers who perform the skilled labor as well as the helper's work. In other cases, a helper may assist more than one type of worker, thereby reducing the number of helpers needed.
Median weekly earnings for handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers in 1992 were about $300. The middle 50 percent earned from $220 to $420 weekly. The top 10 percent earned over $550 weekly, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $180 weekly. Construction craft laborers have higher weekly earnings than other workers in this group. However, they may be more likely to lose work time because of bad weather and the cyclical nature of construction work. Stock handlers and baggers have the lowest weekly earnings among workers in this group.
Nearly 1 out of 4 handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers belongs to a union.
Other entry level workers who perform mostly physical work are roustabouts in the oil industry, certain timber cutting and logging occupations, and groundskeepers. The jobs of handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers are often similar to those of the more experienced workers they assist, including machine operators, construction craft workers, assemblers, mechanics, and repairers.
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor