How To Become A Plant Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a plant worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Plant workers are employed in factories, manufacturing sites, and production plants to operate machinery and process items into merchandise. They work in various industries processing the widest variety of materials. They are responsible for sorting and packing products as well as monitoring their quality.

As a plant worker, you will work the assembly line or operate machines in rotating shifts in industrial settings. You will have to endure noise and repetitive tasks, so stamina and dexterity will be valuable skills.

You will work as part of a team, so communication skills will be essential. You will work under the supervision of a manager and report any issues you can not solve. You will be responsible for keeping your area clean and carrying out your tasks according to safety regulations.

ScorePlant WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,705

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.18%

Asian 4.63%

Black or African American 11.46%

Hispanic or Latino 16.35%

Unknown 4.27%

White 62.11%

Gender

female 18.44%

male 81.56%

Age - 49

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 - 49

Stress level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a plant worker

Explore plant worker education requirements

Most common plant worker degrees

High School Diploma

54.3 %

Bachelor's

16.8 %

Associate

14.7 %

Start to develop specific plant worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Recordkeeping	19.00%
Conveyor Systems	16.88%
OSHA	15.66%
Hazardous Materials	14.83%
Plant Operations	13.06%

Complete relevant plant worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New plant workers 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 plant worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real plant worker resumes.

Research plant worker duties and responsibilities

Decontaminate vehicles and cargo-carrying portion, reload assigned racks, scan waste containers into Bio-track systems for proper recordkeeping.
Load cafeteria trays/silverware/cookware into commercial dishwasher.

Prepare your plant worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your plant worker 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 plant worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable plant worker resume templates

Build a professional plant worker 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 plant worker resume.