Hoist and Winch Operators
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 53-7041.00United States
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
- Median annual earnings
- $58,849
- Projected change
- −5.3%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 3.09K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
67.9% of the workforce
Growing to 2.92K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What hoist and winch operators do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Move levers, pedals, and throttles to stop, start, and regulate speeds of hoist or winch drums in response to hand, bell, buzzer, telephone, loud-speaker, or whistle signals, or by observing dial indicators or cable marks.
- Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
- Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
- Operate compressed air, diesel, electric, gasoline, or steam-driven hoists or winches to control movement of cableways, cages, derricks, draglines, loaders, railcars, or skips.
- Move or reposition hoists, winches, loads and materials, manually or using equipment and machines such as trucks, cars, and hand trucks.
- Select loads or materials according to weight and size specifications.
- Signal and assist other workers loading or unloading materials.
- Attach, fasten, and disconnect cables or lines to loads, materials, and equipment, using hand tools.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $31,501
- 25th percentile
- $41,707
- 50th percentile
- $58,849
- 75th percentile
- $103,213
- 90th percentile
- $135,833
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $58,849 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−5.3%projected to decline
20253,086 jobs
2035 projected2,922 jobs
164 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 67.9%
- Certificate
- 23.5%
- Some college
- 8.6%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Hoist Operators118 postings
- 02Light Equipment Operators3 postings
- 03Operators2 postings
- 04Breakdown Coordinators1 postings
- 05Digital Print Operators1 postings
- 06Elevator Operators1 postings
- 07Overhead Crane Operators1 postings
- 08Reach Operators1 postings
- 09Receiving Clerks1 postings
- 10Snubbing Operators1 postings
Top employers
- 01R.R. Donnelley & Sons51 postings
- 02Superior Skilled Trades6 postings
- 03Redpath And Company, Ltd.4 postings
- 04Brasfield & Gorrie3 postings
- 05Maine Staffing Group3 postings
- 06Action Labor And Staffing Connection2 postings
- 07Canfor2 postings
- 08Global Security And Investigative Services2 postings
- 09Lakeside Book Company2 postings
- 10PeopleReady2 postings
- 11Skilled Staffing2 postings
- 12Staff Zone2 postings
- 13Staffmark2 postings
- 14The Reserves Network2 postings
- 15Trade Management2 postings
- 16Automation Personnel Services1 postings
- 17Axiom Builders1 postings
- 18Barnhardt Manufacturing Company1 postings
- 19Beasley Forest Products1 postings
- 20Bowers Aluminum1 postings
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