Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between production specialists and line operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production specialist has an average salary of $42,090, which is higher than the $34,520 average annual salary of a line operator.
The top three skills for a production specialist include food handling, customer service and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a line operator are preventative maintenance, PPE, and basic math.
| Production Specialist | Line Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $42,090 | $34,520 |
| Hourly rate | $20.24 | $16.60 |
| Growth rate | - | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 76,288 | 137,127 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Production specialists are responsible for planning and managing the production activities of a company based on job orders. They provide support to the operations department and collaborate with supervisors to create production plans and identity workflow requirements. Other responsibilities may include managing existing workflow, organizing job training to the production team, and monitoring and reporting job status to customers. Production specialists are also expected to respond to customer concerns and inquiries, ensure the timely delivery of products, and ensure that products meet quality standards.
A line operator is responsible for assisting in warehouse and factory operations, usually assigned on doing heavy works for the production. Line operators' duties include operating manufacturing machines and equipment, placing products on the appropriate shelves, checking supplies and inventories, loading orders for shipments, inspecting products for any defects, labeling products accurately, adhering to the safety procedures to prevent product contamination, and observing sanitary regulations. A line operator must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, as well as the ability to multi-task, especially on meeting deadlines and processing customers' orders.
Production specialists and line operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Specialist | Line Operator | |
| Average salary | $42,090 | $34,520 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $73,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | California | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Apple | BD |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a production specialist and a line operator in terms of educational background:
| Production Specialist | Line Operator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between production specialists' and line operators' demographics:
| Production Specialist | Line Operator | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |