How to become a Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand
Official title: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Also called: Laborer, Loader, Material Handler, Merchandise Pick Up Associate, Merchandise Receiving Associate, Receiver, Receiving Associate, Shipping and Receiving Materials Handler, Warehouse Worker
Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Includes all manual laborers not elsewhere classified.
Main 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.
How to become one
There are usually no formal educational requirements to become a hand laborer or material mover. They typically learn through on-the-job training that lasts 1 month or less.
Typical education to start: No formal educational credential
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Dock Worker.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $40,240 a year The middle half earn $36,090 to $46,920.
- About 2,940,300 people work in this job now, and about 2,991,900 are projected by 2035. (+1.8%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Related jobs
- Packers and Packagers, Hand
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers
- Stockers and Order Fillers
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand?
There are usually no formal educational requirements to become a hand laborer or material mover. They typically learn through on-the-job training that lasts 1 month or less.
How much does a Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $40,240 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $36,090 to $46,920.
Is a Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 2,940,300 people now and 2,991,900 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand?
Usually not. Only 10% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Dock Worker.
Will AI change the work of a Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.