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Production worker vs assembly worker

The differences between production workers and assembly workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production worker has an average salary of $30,847, which is higher than the $30,331 average annual salary of an assembly worker.

The top three skills for a production worker include production process, safety procedures and assembly line. The most important skills for an assembly worker are assembly line, safety procedures, and quality standards.

Production worker vs assembly worker overview

Production WorkerAssembly Worker
Yearly salary$30,847$30,331
Hourly rate$14.83$14.58
Growth rate--5%
Number of jobs136,58485,178
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 52%High School Diploma, 52%
Average age4344
Years of experience--

What does a production worker do?

Production workers are employees who are usually seen in an assembly line in a company's factory. They are responsible for a specific part of the production of goods for the company. They ensure that production processes are being followed. Production workers are required to be efficient, detail-oriented, and organized. They should be able to uphold the quality standards set by the company and should be able to conduct quality control checks. Should they be working alongside machines, and they must know how to operate the machine as well as maintain it. Production workers should also be familiar with occupational safety and health guidelines and must be able to follow policies and procedures in place.

What does an assembly worker do?

An assembly worker is an employee who is assigned to an assembly line in a manufacturing firm to fabricate parts and join them to construct a final product. Assembly workers follow instructions and diagrams to complete a particular task. They may use a combination of tools such as a punching machine, hammers, or welding equipment. An assembly line supervisor is directly in-charge of these assembly workers and will continuously monitor their work. Assembly workers can also work in different manufacturing firms that produce aircraft, automobiles, and electronics.

Production worker vs assembly worker salary

Production workers and assembly workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Production WorkerAssembly Worker
Average salary$30,847$30,331
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $38,000Between $24,000 And $37,000
Highest paying CityTacoma, WASpokane, WA
Highest paying stateWashingtonAlaska
Best paying companyBDAnomatic
Best paying industryAutomotiveAutomotive

Differences between production worker and assembly worker education

There are a few differences between a production worker and an assembly worker in terms of educational background:

Production WorkerAssembly Worker
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 52%High School Diploma, 52%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Production worker vs assembly worker demographics

Here are the differences between production workers' and assembly workers' demographics:

Production WorkerAssembly Worker
Average age4344
Gender ratioMale, 56.3% Female, 43.7%Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 8.4% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between production worker and assembly worker duties and responsibilities

Production worker example responsibilities.

  • Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
  • Require to know safe food practices like HACCP, and knowing USDA and FDA guidelines when handling and storing foods.
  • Use scribers, dividers, and squares to mark dimensions on material.
  • Produce glace, demi-glace and elite culinary sauces.
  • Handle parts that run off conveyors and are send for painting.
  • Operate large grinders, run high heat ovens, inspect and paint parts, packaging.
  • Show more

Assembly worker example responsibilities.

  • Follow company guidelines and motivate to accomplish goals and help to troubleshoot to get projects done.
  • Inventory and manage all stock products within a retail warehousing environment utilizing RF scanner and barcode readers to document material.
  • Perform basic math to compute ratio, rate and percent.
  • Work with a team on line assembling HVAC parts for Honda and Toyota
  • Work assembly line for manufacturing parts for Honda, help other lines complete their jobs
  • Demonstrate excellent quality control on the assembly line for Toyota parts inspecting and assembling vehicle parts.
  • Show more

Production worker vs assembly worker skills

Common production worker skills
  • Production Process, 15%
  • Safety Procedures, 10%
  • Assembly Line, 10%
  • Basic Math, 10%
  • Quality Standards, 6%
  • Pallet Jack, 5%
Common assembly worker skills
  • Assembly Line, 40%
  • Safety Procedures, 12%
  • Quality Standards, 5%
  • Quality Checks, 5%
  • Pallet Jack, 4%
  • Assembly Process, 3%

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