When we speak of material handling, the image of a forklift appears but its connection in the past did not seem as obvious. Its demand was manifested during the industrial revolution when machine intensive manufacturing processes sparked a motivation to create a device for hoisting materials over short distances.
During the first world war, a large number of working males volunteering for the military caused a shortage in manpower. As a result, a company called Ransomes, Sims Jeffries invented lift trucks to transport and lift loads to increase work productivity. At the same time, this catapulted the invention of standardized pallets, a flat structure increasing storage and transport efficiencies also prompting the redesigning towards a fork-style lift truck. It was not until the second world war that forklifts were mass adopted as they were used for loading war supplies, such as ammunition and food to vehicles.
With the rise of e-commerce and a boom in creative production, warehouses and Giga factories are becoming commonplace for material handlers to thrive in. The primary role of a material handler is to load, unload, and move products across these facilities. They are also involved in sorting freight, managing inventory using scanners, and handling outbound and inbound logistic processes. Employers require a high school diploma or G.E.D, and material handlers get paid, on average, $13.50 per hour.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Material Handler/Forklift Operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.85 an hour? That's $32,971 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 32,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many Material Handler/Forklift 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 Alertness, Communication skills and Coordination.
If you're interested in becoming a Material Handler/Forklift Operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 7.0% of Material Handler/Forklift Operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.5% of Material Handler/Forklift Operators have master's degrees. Even though some Material Handler/Forklift 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 a Material Handler/Forklift Operator. When we researched the most common majors for a Material Handler/Forklift Operator, we found that they most commonly earn High School Diploma degrees or Diploma degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Material Handler/Forklift Operator resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Bachelor's Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Material Handler/Forklift Operator. In fact, many Material Handler/Forklift Operator jobs require experience in a role such as Forklift Operator. Meanwhile, many Material Handler/Forklift Operators also have previous career experience in roles such as Material Handler or Machine Operator.