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The differences between production specialists and production line workers 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 $28,844 average annual salary of a production line worker.
The top three skills for a production specialist include food handling, customer service and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a production line worker are assembly line, pallet jack, and safety guidelines.
| Production Specialist | Production Line Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $42,090 | $28,844 |
| Hourly rate | $20.24 | $13.87 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 76,288 | 123,921 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | High School Diploma, 54% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| 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 production worker is responsible for operating equipment and machinery to support the production process with the highest efficiency and maximum operational performance. Production workers regularly inspect the condition of the machinery, reporting any defects and malfunctions which affect the production process for immediate repairs or replacement. They also conduct quality checks for finished products before release to ensure customer satisfaction and avoid any delays on shipment. A production worker must always adhere to safety standards and protocols set by the management to prevent hazards in the production area.
Production specialists and production line workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Specialist | Production Line Worker | |
| Average salary | $42,090 | $28,844 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $73,000 | Between $23,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Anomatic |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a production specialist and a production line worker in terms of educational background:
| Production Specialist | Production Line Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | High School Diploma, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between production specialists' and production line workers' demographics:
| Production Specialist | Production Line Worker | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% |
| 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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |