Overview
All Food and Drink Factory Workers
-
$1,208 Weekly Pay
-
Moderate Future Growth
-
30,400 workers Employment Size
-
Entry level Skill level rating
-
75% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
42 hours Average full-time
-
41 years Average age
-
30% female Gender Share
Food and Drink Factory Workers perform routine tasks in manufacturing food and beverages.
You can work as a Food or Drink Factory Worker without formal qualifications, however, a certificate II or III in food processing may be useful.
Tasks
- weighing, measuring, mixing, dissolving and boiling ingredients
- adding materials, such as spices and preservatives, to food and beverages
- operating heating, chilling, freezing, pasteurising, carbonating, sulphuring and desulphuring plant
- monitoring product quality before packaging by inspecting, taking samples and adjusting treatment conditions when necessary
- operating machines to peel, core, slice, dice, pit and juice fruit and vegetables
- cleaning equipment, pumps, hoses, storage tanks, vessels and floors, and maintaining infestation control programs
- regulating speed of conveyors and crusher rollers, and adjusting tension of rollers to ensure total extraction of juice from sugar cane
- moving products from production lines into storage and shipping areas
- packaging and bottling products
Prospects
The number of people working as Food and Drink Factory Workers (in their main job) grew moderately over 5 years:
from 28,400 in 2014 to 30,400 in 2019.
Caution: The Australian jobs market is changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with extreme caution.
- Size: This is a large occupation.
- Location: Food and Drink Factory Workers work in many parts of Australia. Victoria has a large share of workers.
- Industries: Most work in Manufacturing; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; and Accommodation and Food Services.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,208 per week (below the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (75%, higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 42 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 41 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 30% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Caution: The 2019 employment projections do not take account of any impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore no longer reflective of current labour market conditions. As such, they should be used, and interpreted, with extreme caution. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You can work as a Food or Drink Factory Worker without formal qualifications, however, a certificate II or III in food processing may be useful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Food Processing VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Food and Drink Factory Workers who are reliable, hardworking and have good people skills.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Food production
Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Technical design
Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
-
Troubleshooting
Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Auditory attention
Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.
-
Hearing sensitivity
Tell the difference between sounds.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Estimating amounts, costs and resources
Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
-
Driving vehicles or equipment
Running, manoeuvring, navigating, or driving things like forklifts, vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 51-3092.00 - Food Batchmakers.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Pace of work set by equipment
Pace of work depends on the speed of equipment or machinery.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Exposure to contaminants
Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Dangerous equipment
Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 51-3092.00 - Food Batchmakers.
All Food and Drink Factory Workers
-
$1,208 Weekly Pay
-
Moderate Future Growth
-
30,400 workers Employment Size
-
Entry level Skill level rating
-
75% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
42 hours Average full-time
-
41 years Average age
-
30% female Gender Share
Food and Drink Factory Workers perform routine tasks in manufacturing food and beverages.
You can work as a Food or Drink Factory Worker without formal qualifications, however, a certificate II or III in food processing may be useful.
Tasks
- weighing, measuring, mixing, dissolving and boiling ingredients
- adding materials, such as spices and preservatives, to food and beverages
- operating heating, chilling, freezing, pasteurising, carbonating, sulphuring and desulphuring plant
- monitoring product quality before packaging by inspecting, taking samples and adjusting treatment conditions when necessary
- operating machines to peel, core, slice, dice, pit and juice fruit and vegetables
- cleaning equipment, pumps, hoses, storage tanks, vessels and floors, and maintaining infestation control programs
- regulating speed of conveyors and crusher rollers, and adjusting tension of rollers to ensure total extraction of juice from sugar cane
- moving products from production lines into storage and shipping areas
- packaging and bottling products
The number of people working as Food and Drink Factory Workers (in their main job) grew moderately over 5 years:
from 28,400 in 2014 to 30,400 in 2019.
Caution: The Australian jobs market is changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with extreme caution.
- Size: This is a large occupation.
- Location: Food and Drink Factory Workers work in many parts of Australia. Victoria has a large share of workers.
- Industries: Most work in Manufacturing; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; and Accommodation and Food Services.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,208 per week (below the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (75%, higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 42 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 41 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 30% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Caution: The 2019 employment projections do not take account of any impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore no longer reflective of current labour market conditions. As such, they should be used, and interpreted, with extreme caution. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You can work as a Food or Drink Factory Worker without formal qualifications, however, a certificate II or III in food processing may be useful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Food Processing VET training pathways.
Employers look for Food and Drink Factory Workers who are reliable, hardworking and have good people skills.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Food production
Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Technical design
Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
-
Troubleshooting
Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Auditory attention
Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.
-
Hearing sensitivity
Tell the difference between sounds.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Estimating amounts, costs and resources
Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
-
Driving vehicles or equipment
Running, manoeuvring, navigating, or driving things like forklifts, vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 51-3092.00 - Food Batchmakers.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Pace of work set by equipment
Pace of work depends on the speed of equipment or machinery.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Exposure to contaminants
Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Dangerous equipment
Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
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Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
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Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
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Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
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Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 51-3092.00 - Food Batchmakers.