Production worker vs production employee

The differences between production workers and production employees can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production employee has an average salary of $32,872, which is higher than the $30,847 average annual salary of a production worker.

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

Production worker vs production employee overview

	Production Worker	Production Employee
Yearly salary	$30,847	$32,872
Hourly rate	$14.83	$15.80
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	136,584	75,730
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	43	43
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 a production employee do?

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.

Production worker vs production employee salary

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

	Production Worker	Production Employee
Average salary	$30,847	$32,872
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	Cleveland, OH
Highest paying state	Washington	Minnesota
Best paying company	BD	Steel Dynamics
Best paying industry	Automotive	Automotive

Differences between production worker and production employee education

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

	Production Worker	Production Employee
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Production worker vs production employee demographics

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

	Production Worker	Production Employee
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 56.3% Female, 43.7%	Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4%
Race ratio	Black 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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between production worker and production employee 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.

Production employee example 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.
Coordinate and participate in Kaizen cost improvement activities.

Production worker vs production employee skills

Common production worker skills

Production Process, 15%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Assembly Line, 10%
Basic Math, 10%
Quality Standards, 6%
Pallet Jack, 5%

Common production employee skills

Production Floor, 25%
Quality Standards, 16%
Safety Standards, 13%
Work Ethic, 8%
Production Process, 6%
HACCP, 4%

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Production Worker vs Production Employee

Updated January 8, 2025

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