Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Includes all manual laborers not elsewhere classified.
- Median annual earnings
- $40,118
- Projected change
- +5.3%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 3.01M jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
99.4% of the workforce
Growing to 3.17M by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $30,872
- 25th percentile
- $35,781
- 50th percentile
- $40,118
- 75th percentile
- $47,138
- 90th percentile
- $56,327
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $40,118 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
160,197 more 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
- 99.4%
- Some college
- 0.6%
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.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- 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.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Warehouse Associates54,174 postings
- 02Material Handlers39,570 postings
- 03General Laborers22,200 postings
- 04Warehouse Workers17,350 postings
- 05Warehouse Material Handlers5,753 postings
- 06Laborers5,529 postings
- 07Warehouse Clerks4,348 postings
- 08Warehouse Operators4,237 postings
- 09Warehouse Specialists3,834 postings
- 10Warehouse Technicians3,817 postings
- 11Warehouse Package Handlers3,313 postings
- 12General Warehouse Associates3,112 postings
- 13Warehouse Assistants2,997 postings
- 14Driver Helpers2,899 postings
- 15Warehouse Laborers2,862 postings
- 16Warehouse Order Selectors2,606 postings
- 17Dockworkers2,134 postings
- 18Warehouse Associates/Drivers2,110 postings
- 19Warehousers2,063 postings
- 20Warehouse Team Members2,062 postings
Top employers
- 01Aerotek11,166 postings
- 02FedEx3,816 postings
- 03Adecco3,704 postings
- 04ManpowerGroup3,173 postings
- 05Ryder2,208 postings
- 06Kelly Services2,172 postings
- 07Capstone Logistics2,156 postings
- 08PeopleReady1,892 postings
- 09Staffmark1,809 postings
- 10Labor Finders1,769 postings
- 11Amazon1,375 postings
- 12Fastenal1,242 postings
- 13Core-Mark International1,185 postings
- 14Express Employment Professionals1,181 postings
- 15UPS1,138 postings
- 16Best Buy1,016 postings
- 17Spherion Staffing972 postings
- 18Kbs (Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners)947 postings
- 19The Coca-Cola Company889 postings
- 20PrideStaff808 postings
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