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The differences between production employees and machines technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a machines technician has an average salary of $39,754, which is higher than the $32,872 average annual salary of a production employee.
The top three skills for a production employee include production floor, quality standards and safety standards. The most important skills for a machines technician are CNC, hand tools, and calipers.
| Production Employee | Machines Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,872 | $39,754 |
| Hourly rate | $15.80 | $19.11 |
| Growth rate | - | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 75,730 | 106,175 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 43 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
In a manufacturing setting, a production employee is in charge of assembling and processing products, ensuring efficiency and timelines. Their responsibilities include adhering to guidelines and blueprints, monitoring the products for any defects or inconsistencies, operating machines and equipment, keeping an eye on the assembly line, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. Furthermore, as a production employee, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with co-workers, coordinating every step of the way, and alerting managers should there be any problems.
A machine technician can often be seen in a manufacturing company, factories, processing centers, and machine shops. They typically work as the apprentice of machine engineers that are responsible for ensuring that all machinery and machine tools are working properly. A technician operates, installs, maintains, inspects, and repairs equipment depending on what industry they are working in, whether it may be an industrial or automotive setup. They must be keen on detail and keep the machines or equipment to the highest quality standard at all times.
Production employees and machines technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Employee | Machines Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,872 | $39,754 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cleveland, OH | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Steel Dynamics | ABB |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a production employee and a machines technician in terms of educational background:
| Production Employee | Machines Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between production employees' and machines technicians' demographics:
| Production Employee | Machines Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 2% |