As a Forklift Operator, you undoubtedly operate forklifts and other equipment to distribute, store, and move goods from one location to another. Do you know the workforce landscape for Forklift Operators?
Workforce Landscape of Forklift Operators:
The United States employed 610,779 Forklift Operators in 2018 and only posted 552,685 positions to the web. That is a 4:1 Posting Intensity Ratio, meaning the country as a whole put an average effort toward hiring for this position, which is far better than our nation’s job postings for Nuclear Engineers which boasts a 2:1 ratio.
Check out this cool Heat Map of where Forklift operators are most prevalent in the workforce!
How Much Money do Forklift Operators Make?
The national average wage of a Forklift Operator is $16.17/hr. Of course, this number will vary by location, tenure, and experience. If your pay isn’t at the nations average conduct some research of your own at https://livingwage.mit.edu/ and find out what the typical annual salary is for your area.
National Demographics of Forklift Operators:
As an occupation, Forklift Operators are 53% above the national average in regards to diversity. Although, the position of Forklift Operator is a male dominated field, 55,056 women were employed as Forklift operators in 2018. As for the age of the Forklift Operator workforce, Millennials make up over 30% of this occupation.
Often times, a High School Diploma or equivalent is all that is required of you to be eligible to become a Forklift Operator. However, some Forklift Operator roles may require additional certifications or training as well.
Did you know roughly 62,636 Companies employ Forklift Operators annually and that number is to remain constant over the next 5 years? That is exciting news because there is plenty of work for you to do as a Forklift Operator in this country but you will need to tailor your resume with some hard skills & soft skills that companies desire.
What Skills are Required of Forklift Operators?
The Top 10 Hard Skills Employers Seek from Forklift Operators
1. Forklift Truck Operating
2. Warehousing
3. Palletizing
4. Truckload Shipping
5. Brokering
6. Packaging And Labeling
7. Material Handling
8. Merchandising
9. Data Warehousing
10. Inventory Controlling
Now that you are armed with data about the current workforce for Forklift Operators, use it to your benefit to help you land the Forklift Operator job of your dreams!
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