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The differences between shop foremen and operation supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a shop foreman and an operation supervisor. Additionally, a shop foreman has an average salary of $68,171, which is higher than the $57,279 average annual salary of an operation supervisor.
The top three skills for a shop foreman include customer service, preventative maintenance and CDL. The most important skills for an operation supervisor are logistics, safety procedures, and OSHA.
| Shop Foreman | Operation Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $68,171 | $57,279 |
| Hourly rate | $32.77 | $27.54 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,599 | 94,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks. They often work in manufacturing, automotive, and warehouse industries, which require knowledge of operating equipment. A shop foreman must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially on addressing customers' inquiries and complaints and performing clerical tasks as needed.
Operations supervisors manage a specific operations-related team or department. They ensure that all the agreed-upon key performance indicators are being met. They also address any performance challenges and strategize on how to improve different areas in the team. They communicate team goals and balance the organization's requirements with the team's profile. Operations supervisors also manage the employees under their department. They hire for vacancies and train new employees. They also ensure that employees are properly coached for improvement. Operations supervisors are expected to be strategic, personable, and good communicators.
Shop foremen and operation supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Foreman | Operation Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $68,171 | $57,279 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $97,000 | Between $37,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Gillette, WY | Kansas City, KS |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Louisiana |
| Best paying company | Freightliner Trucks | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a shop foreman and an operation supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Shop Foreman | Operation Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between shop foremen' and operation supervisors' demographics:
| Shop Foreman | Operation Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0% | Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |