Assembly operators put products and product components together using their hands, machinery, and various tools. Assembly operators make anything that is produced via assembly line, from children's toys to aircraft engines.
The duties that they perform in this capacity include reading instructions, blueprints, and drawings of the products that the company is making; boxing items once they are finished; monitoring machinery; inspecting finished products; loading and unloading inventory; and adhering to safety protocols. Essentials skills required to successfully execute these responsibilities include reading comprehension, mathematics, computer skills, attention to detail, and physical stamina. A high school diploma or a GED will suffice for the position. Most employers prefer individuals with some prior experience in a similar position, but will provide on-the-job training if need be.
The average hourly pay for this position is $12.99, which amounts to $27,026 annually.
Assembly Operator Overview
Assembly Operator Careers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an assembly operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.14 an hour? That's $27,325 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -11% and produce -203,300 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does an Assembly Operator Do
There are certain skills that many assembly operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed color vision, dexterity and math skills.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be an assembly operator, we found that a lot of resumes listed 11.7% of assembly operators included quality standards, while 10.4% of resumes included hand tools, and 9.9% of resumes included assembly instructions. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the assembly operator job title. But what industry to start with? Most assembly operators actually find jobs in the manufacturing and automotive industries.
How To Become an Assembly Operator
If you're interested in becoming an assembly operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 14.3% of assembly operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.5% of assembly operators have master's degrees. Even though some assembly operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an assembly operator. When we researched the most common majors for an assembly operator, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on assembly operator resumes include bachelor's degree degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an assembly operator. In fact, many assembly operator jobs require experience in a role such as cashier. Meanwhile, many assembly operators also have previous career experience in roles such as machine operator or customer service representative.
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Assembly Operator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an assembly operator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as machine operator, progress to a title such as technician and then eventually end up with the title operations manager.
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Average Salary for an Assembly Operator
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Employ-Temps Assemblers & Operators Assemblers & Operators | Employ-Temps Employ-Temps | 01/31/2021 01/31/2021 | $31,30501/31/2021 $31,305 |
Mega Force Assembly Operator Assembly Operator | Mega Force Mega Force | 01/30/2021 01/30/2021 | $25,04401/30/2021 $25,044 |
HW Staffing Solutions Production Assembly Operator Production Assembly Operator | HW Staffing Solutions HW Staffing Solutions | 01/29/2021 01/29/2021 | $31,30501/29/2021 $31,305 |
Staffmark Assembly Operator Assembly Operator | Staffmark Staffmark | 01/28/2021 01/28/2021 | $29,21801/28/2021 $29,218 |
Matthews International Assembly Operator Assembly Operator | Matthews International Matthews International | 01/27/2021 01/27/2021 | $36,10501/27/2021 $36,105 |
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Assembly Operator Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming an Assembly Operator. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
Learn How To Write an Assembly Operator Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Assembly Operator resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Detailed InformationTop Skills For an Assembly Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.7% of assembly operators listed quality standards on their resume, but soft skills such as color vision and dexterity are important as well.
- Quality Standards, 11.7%
- Hand Tools, 10.4%
- Assembly Instructions, 9.9%
- Assembly Line, 9.9%
- Quality Checks, 7.6%
- Other Skills, 50.5% See All Assembly Operator Skills
Best States For an Assembly Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an assembly operator. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. Assembly operators make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $33,238. Whereas in New Jersey and Oregon, they would average $32,972 and $32,682, respectively. While assembly operators would only make an average of $31,740 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Iowa
$31,654
Avg. Salary
2. Vermont
$31,728
Avg. Salary
3. New Hampshire
$30,494
Avg. Salary
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