Material Handlers (NOC 7452)
Description
This unit group includes workers who handle, move, load and unload materials by hand or by using a variety of material handling equipment. They are employed by transportation, storage and moving companies, and by a variety of manufacturing and processing companies and retail and wholesale warehouses.
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Example Titles
- bin filler
- coal handler
- conveyor console operator
- forklift truck operator
- freight handler (except air transport)
- furniture mover
- lumber piler - building supplies
- material handler
- railway car loader
- stockpiler
- storage worker - material handling
- truck loader
- warehouseman/woman
>> View all titles
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Classified Elsewhere
- Freight attendants (in 7437 Air Transport Ramp Attendants)
- Heavy Equipment Operators (Except Crane) (7421)
- Longshore Workers (7451)
- Storekeepers and Parts Clerks (1472)
- Supervisors of material handlers (in 7217 Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews)
- Warehouse supervisors (in 1215 Supervisors, Recording, Distributing and Scheduling Occupations)
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Duties
Material handlers (manual) perform some or all of the following duties:
- Load, unload and move products and materials by hand or using basic material handling equipment
- Move household appliances and furniture onto and off moving trucks or vans
- Perform other material handling activities such as counting, weighing, sorting, packing and unpacking.
Material handlers (equipment operators) perform some or all of the following duties:
- Operate winches and other loading devices to load and unload materials onto and off trucks, railway cars and loading docks of warehouses and industrial establishments
- Operate industrial trucks, tractors, loaders and other equipment to transport materials to and from transportation vehicles and loading docks and to store and retrieve materials in warehouses
- Connect hoses or pipes and operate equipment to load and unload liquid petroleum, chemical or other products into or from tank cars, tank trucks or storage tanks
- Operate equipment to dump materials such as coal, ore and grain into or to remove materials from railway cars, trucks or other vehicles
- Operate conveyors and equipment to transfer grain or other materials from transportation vehicles to elevators, bins or other storage areas
- May perform other activities, such as opening containers and crates, filling warehouse orders, assisting in taking inventory and weighing and checking materials.
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Skills
Material Handlers, including Forklift Operators need the following skills and abilities:
Essential Skills:
- good oral and listening communication skills
- good interpersonal skills
- physical strength and stamina
- good eye-hand coordination and good manual dexterity
- ability to work independently or as part of a team
- good problem solving skills.
Technical Skills:
- ability to follow instructions given verbally or by hand signal
- good measurement and calculation skills
- ability to read and keep records
- general mechanical aptitude
- knowledge of safe operating procedures.
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Employment Requirements
- Some secondary school education may be required.
- Material-handling equipment operators (forklift operators) are required to take a mandatory certification program.
- Employers often require experience in operating other equipment, as they are unwilling to trust unskilled workers to learn on the job with large and expensive machinery.
- Physical strength is required for manual material handlers who work with heavy materials.
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Earnings
$21,100 per annum - starting
$33,600 per annum - average
$46,300 per annum - high
Earnings are reviewed annually or more frequently if new information becomes available.
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Education / Training
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Career Paths
Material Handlers and Forklift Operators are often employed in the manufacturing, warehousing and retail industries. They may enter from jobs as labourers or helpers, or from jobs operating other equipment.
With experience operators may move into inventory control, materials management or management positions.
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Outlook
Employment prospects for material handlers in the 2010 - 2014 period are expected to be good. Employment in Manitoba in 2010 is estimated at 5,350.
While the volume of goods to be stored and transported will increase over the forecast period, the demand for material handlers is not expected to increase substantially. New equipment for moving material has improved the efficiency of material handlers. However, this is a relatively large occupational group and job opportunities can be expected due to replacement demand. Individuals qualified to operate fork lifts or other industrial moving equipment will have the best prospects.
A proportionally larger share of jobs for material handlers are located in Winnipeg. Material handlers are employed by almost all industry sectors in the Province. The largest concentration (26%) is found in Manufacturing, followed by Transportation and Warehousing (23%) ,Wholesale Trade (21%),and Retail Trade (16%).
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Employment by Age Group
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Employment by Industry
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Employment by Region
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Employment by Gender
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Employment by Aboriginal Self-Identification
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Employment by Visible Minority
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Please Note - The source for above charts is the 2006 Census.
