Working supervisor vs production supervisor

The differences between working supervisors and production 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 working supervisor and a production supervisor. Additionally, a production supervisor has an average salary of $63,391, which is higher than the $49,372 average annual salary of a working supervisor.

The top three skills for a working supervisor include direct supervision, safety rules and GRASS. The most important skills for a production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Working supervisor vs production supervisor overview

	Working Supervisor	Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$49,372	$63,391
Hourly rate	$23.74	$30.48
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	44,021	83,529
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a working supervisor do?

A working supervisor is responsible for overseeing the daily performance of employees. Depending on the business, company, or organization, a working supervisor's primary job is to orchestrate coordinated teamwork. This job requires excellent communication and organizational skills. These skills ensure that working supervisors can transfer information or instructions from higher-level management to employees and provide reports to upper management.

What does a production supervisor do?

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

Working supervisor vs production supervisor salary

Working supervisors and production supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Working Supervisor	Production Supervisor
Average salary	$49,372	$63,391
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $73,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	California
Best paying company	Ensign Energy	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Government	Automotive

Differences between working supervisor and production supervisor education

There are a few differences between a working supervisor and a production supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Working Supervisor	Production Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Working supervisor vs production supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between working supervisors' and production supervisors' demographics:

	Working Supervisor	Production Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 4.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between working supervisor and production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Working supervisor example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Assist operators for driving portion of CDL.
Perform service troubleshoot and repair work in between projects.
Cut grass using tractor, riding lawn mowers, string trimmers.
Supervise billing and payroll personnel, and coordinate the billing process.
General lawn care: whipping, weeding, mowing, and raking.

Production supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage an run extruders an injection molds.
Utilize MRP system to monitor and manage raw material and finish goods inventory.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Manage departments responsible for beginning raw material production process using automate CNC control plasma cutting machines.
Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.

Working supervisor vs production supervisor skills

Common working supervisor skills

Direct Supervision, 20%
Safety Rules, 16%
GRASS, 15%
Safety Procedures, 12%
Payroll, 3%
Community Resources, 3%

Common production supervisor skills

Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Production Schedules, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
ISO, 4%

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Working Supervisor
Working Supervisor vs Production Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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