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What is a production employee and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

Production employees work in various fields. Any organization or company that produces a product needs production employees. As a production employee, you join a team responsible for the production and assembly of a product as you operate and maintain the production machinery.

Some of the duties and responsibilities that you take on as a production employee to meet production targets include maintaining the production line, assembling the products and its component parts, and following product guidelines provided by the company. You learn and follow various health and safety guidelines and report issues that might occur during production to a supervisor. Essential skills needed to successfully execute these tasks are basic mathematics skills, physical stamina, communication, and teamwork.

No formal educational requirements exist for this position, but a high school diploma or a GED may prove beneficial to a job candidate. Previous experience working in a factory or a similar production line will offer an edge. The average hourly pay for this position is $11.97, which amounts to more than $24,000 annually.

ScoreProduction EmployeeUS Average
Salary
2.6

Avg. Salary $32,872

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
9.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 7.91%

Black or African American 10.52%

Hispanic or Latino 15.87%

Unknown 4.24%

White 60.60%

Gender

female 30.37%

male 69.63%

Age - 44
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 - 44
Stress level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Production employee career paths

Key steps to become a production employee

  1. Explore production employee education requirements

    Most common production employee degrees

    High School Diploma

    34.4 %

    Bachelor's

    29.9 %

    Associate

    23.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific production employee skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Production Floor25.40%
    Quality Standards15.98%
    Safety Standards12.91%
    Work Ethic7.79%
    Production Process6.31%
  3. Research production employee duties and responsibilities

    • Accomplish collating training for revisions and charts.
    • Handle set up and operation of CNC mills and lathes for production.
    • Machine (CNC) axle shafts from a raw forging state to a finish product ready for final assembly.
    • Execute production activities as directed by supervisor, including performing GMP cell culture of biologic products using closed-system device.
  4. Prepare your production employee resume

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

    Choose from 10+ customizable production employee resume templates

    Build a professional production employee 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 production employee resume.
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
    Production Employee Resume
  5. Apply for production employee jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a production employee job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first production employee job

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Average production employee salary

The average production employee salary in the United States is $32,872 per year or $16 per hour. Production employee salaries range between $25,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average production employee salary
$32,872 Yearly
$15.80 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do production employees rate their job?

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Production employee reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Cons

Short time at work that to day U not working we will call you when we have busy I need a full time job not part time

Pros

It challenging I love challenge to work as a operator it a very challenging job


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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