Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Some of these workers feed or remove material to or from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.
Hand laborers and material movers typically do the following:
In warehouses and in wholesale and retail operations, hand laborers and material movers work closely with material moving machine operators and material recording clerks. Some workers are employed in manufacturing industries, loading material onto conveyor belts or other machines.
The following are examples of types of hand laborers and material movers:
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment wash 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, an automobile dealership, or a rental agency. Some clean industrial equipment at manufacturing firms. Some—for example, those who work at a carwash, also known as carwash attendants—interact with customers.
Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers move materials to and from storage and production areas, loading docks, delivery trucks, ships, and containers. Although their specific duties may vary, most of these movers, often called pickers, work in warehouses. Some workers retrieve products from storage and move them to loading areas. Other workers load and unload cargo from a truck. When moving a package, pickers keep track of the package number, sometimes with a hand-held scanner, to ensure proper delivery. 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 keep records of items packed. Some of these workers pack materials for shipment and move them to a loading dock. Hand packers in grocery stores, also known as grocery baggers, bag groceries for customers at checkout.
Machine feeders and offbearers process materials by feeding them into equipment or by removing them from equipment. The equipment is generally operated by other workers, such as material moving machine operators. Machine feeders and offbearers help the operator if the machine becomes jammed or needs minor repairs. Machine feeders also track the amount of material they process during a shift.
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 and may use a hydraulic lift to empty the contents of a dumpster into the truck.
Hand laborers and material movers held about 4.2 million jobs in 2019. 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 | 2,986,000 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 640,800 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 408,400 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | 133,600 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers | 62,900 |
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 | 14 |
| 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.
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.
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.
There are no formal educational requirements for anyone to become a hand laborer or material mover.
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).
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.
Customer-service skills. Hand laborers and material movers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers.
Hand–eye coordination. Most hand laborers and material movers use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions.
Listening skills. Hand laborers and material movers follow instructions that a supervisor gives them.
Physical stamina. Hand laborers and material movers need the endurance to perform strenuous tasks, such as moving or cleaning objects, throughout the day.
Physical strength. Some hand laborers and material movers must be able to lift and carry heavy objects.
Median annual wages, May 2020
The median annual wage for hand laborers and material movers was $30,490 in May 2020. 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 $22,070, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $47,590.
Median annual wages for hand laborers and material movers in May 2020 were as follows:
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | $39,100 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers | 33,000 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 31,120 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 28,050 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 27,640 |
In May 2020, the median annual wages for hand laborers and material movers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Wholesale trade | $32,460 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 32,000 |
| Manufacturing | 31,900 |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 28,600 |
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.
Percent change in employment, projected 2019-29
Overall employment of hand laborers and material movers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2019 to 2029, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Projected employment change will vary by occupation (see table below).
Some warehouses are installing equipment, such as high-speed conveyors and sorting systems, to increase efficiency. However, laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, will still be needed to move materials in nearly all sectors of the economy.
Grocery stores, which employ many hand packers and packagers, may employ fewer baggers as a growing number of stores have self-checkout stands at which 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.
As the population grows, the amount of trash generated also is expected to increase; consequently, refuse and recyclable material collectors will be needed to remove trash.
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.
Many machine feeders and offbearers are employed in manufacturing industries, in which functions are being automated, so employment is expected to remain unchanged.
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.
| Occupational Title | SOC Code | Employment, 2019 | Projected Employment, 2029 | Change, 2019-29 | Employment by Industry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | ||||||
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program |
|||||||
Hand laborers and material movers |
— | 4,231,600 | 4,353,000 | 3 | 121,300 | — | |
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
53-7061 | 408,400 | 423,100 | 4 | 14,700 | Get data | |
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
53-7062 | 2,986,000 | 3,111,700 | 4 | 125,700 | Get data | |
Machine feeders and offbearers |
53-7063 | 62,900 | 63,000 | 0 | 100 | Get data | |
Packers and packagers, hand |
53-7064 | 640,800 | 609,900 | -5 | -30,900 | Get data | |
Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
53-7081 | 133,600 | 145,400 | 9 | 11,700 | Get data | |
For more information about hand laborers and material movers, visit
Warehousing Education and Research Council
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Machine Feeders and Offbearers