Transportation and material moving
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Includes all manual laborers not elsewhere classified.
Median pay
$40,240
Growth to 2035
+2%
little or no change
Openings a year
340,500
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand: 62% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Maintain equipment storage areas to ensure that inventory is protected.
- Read work orders or receive oral instructions to determine work assignments or material or equipment needs.
- Move freight, stock, or other materials to and from storage or production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles, ships, or containers, by hand or using trucks, tractors, or other equipment.
Also called: Laborer · Loader · Material Handler · Merchandise Pick Up Associate · Merchandise Receiving Associate · Receiver · Receiving Associate · Shipping and Receiving Materials Handler
Outlook and AI
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand held 2,940,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 2,991,900 by 2035 (+2%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Machine feeders and offbearers
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Packers and packagers, hand
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Conveyor operators and tenders
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Hoist and winch operators
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Production worker helper
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand vs. Maintenance workers, machinery