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Material handling specialist vs warehouse associate

The differences between material handling specialists and warehouse associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handling specialist has an average salary of $37,786, which is higher than the $32,863 average annual salary of a warehouse associate.

The top three skills for a material handling specialist include logistics, safety procedures and safety regulations. The most important skills for a warehouse associate are pallets, work ethic, and customer service.

Material handling specialist vs warehouse associate overview

Material Handling SpecialistWarehouse Associate
Yearly salary$37,786$32,863
Hourly rate$18.17$15.80
Growth rate6%1%
Number of jobs66,226215,910
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%High School Diploma, 50%
Average age4038
Years of experience--

Material handling specialist vs warehouse associate salary

Material handling specialists and warehouse associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Material Handling SpecialistWarehouse Associate
Average salary$37,786$32,863
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $47,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityMarlborough, MAPortland, OR
Highest paying stateNew YorkNorth Dakota
Best paying companyUniversity of DelawareUline
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between material handling specialist and warehouse associate education

There are a few differences between a material handling specialist and a warehouse associate in terms of educational background:

Material Handling SpecialistWarehouse Associate
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%High School Diploma, 50%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Material handling specialist vs warehouse associate demographics

Here are the differences between material handling specialists' and warehouse associates' demographics:

Material Handling SpecialistWarehouse Associate
Average age4038
Gender ratioMale, 72.2% Female, 27.8%Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage5%6%

Differences between material handling specialist and warehouse associate duties and responsibilities

Material handling specialist example responsibilities.

  • Experience in managing JIT material handling, shipping, rail dock, truck dock and metal assembly areas.
  • Develop and maintain experience in logistics field for future advancement.
  • Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
  • Configure local network PC user profiles and deploy computers, printers, and scanners.
  • Order printing, MRP processes, will-calls, customer service.
  • Implement LTL and FTL procedures; create guidelines for account managers to determine mode of transport.
  • Show more

Warehouse associate example responsibilities.

  • Rotate stock by code and receiving date - FIFO.
  • Create and ship documents for customs using DHL software.
  • Utilize RF gun for scanning duties include closing out invoices and assigning load plans.
  • Perform all tasks according to OSHA regulations and also attend daily safety tool box meetings.
  • Utilize a hand-held RF unit to select products/quantities for retail orders in a high volume warehouse.
  • Require consistent heavy lifting, math skills (primarily measurements), and fierce attention to detail.
  • Show more

Material handling specialist vs warehouse associate skills

Common material handling specialist skills
  • Logistics, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 7%
  • Safety Regulations, 7%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Shipping Receiving, 6%
  • Inventory Control, 6%
Common warehouse associate skills
  • Pallets, 15%
  • Work Ethic, 12%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Basic Math, 7%
  • Warehouse Environment, 5%
  • Math, 4%

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