How To Become A Hoist Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hoist operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a hoist operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.07 an hour? That's $33,428 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHoist OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,428

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.4

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.79%

Asian 0.79%

Black or African American 6.72%

Hispanic or Latino 13.83%

Unknown 4.35%

White 73.52%

Gender

female 16.84%

male 83.16%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hoist operator

Explore hoist operator education requirements

Most common hoist operator degrees

High School Diploma

57.8 %

Associate

13.8 %

Diploma

12.1 %

Start to develop specific hoist operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	28.10%
Unload Materials	20.92%
Safety Checks	20.61%
Inventory Control	8.51%
Clamp Truck	4.38%

Complete relevant hoist operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hoist operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hoist operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hoist operator resumes.

Research hoist operator duties and responsibilities

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Move inventory in support of logistics management.

Prepare your hoist operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hoist operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hoist operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hoist operator resume templates

Build a professional hoist operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your hoist operator resume.