Labourers in food and beverage processing

About this job

Labourers in food and beverage processing do packaging, material handling, clean up and other basic activities involved in processing food, beverage and related products.

Want to learn more? Watch this WorkBC Career Trek video and see what it’s like to work in this type of career.

4:43

Packaging associate

Source: WorkBC's Career Trek

People in this occupation work in food, beverage and associated products processing and packing plants, such as:

fruit and vegetable processing plants
dairies
flour mills
bakeries
sugar refineries
meat plants
breweries

Common job titles

attendant, tank
baker / grain cleaner
bakery

barrel cleaner / filler
beef marker / sampler
bottle caser / checker / washer / bottler
brewery
butcher
cannery / chilling / freezer
casing salter / shirrer / stripper
char filter / char kiln
cleaner, bin / food processing equipment
confectionery
corn syrup / sugar processing
custom feed miller
dairy
dairy helper / sampler / butter packer
edible oil processing

egg breaker
feeder, nut-chopping machine
flour mixer / flour sifter-bolter

liquor gallery tender
machine blender - juice / tea / coffee
meat packager - food and beverage processing
meat processing
meat-packing
mixer, seasoning / soft drink
neutralizer, corn starch
packaging
poultry processing
produce processing
sampler, food and beverage products
tender, food-cooler / tumbler / centrifuge
vinegar maker
weigher / tare assessor
yeast processing / yeast sampler

attendant, tank
baker / grain cleaner
bakery
barrel cleaner / filler
beef marker / sampler
bottle caser / checker / washer / bottler

brewery
butcher
cannery / chilling / freezer
casing salter / shirrer / stripper
char filter / char kiln
cleaner, bin / food processing equipment
confectionery
corn syrup / sugar processing
custom feed miller
dairy
dairy helper / sampler / butter packer
edible oil processing
egg breaker
feeder, nut-chopping machine
flour mixer / flour sifter-bolter
liquor gallery tender
machine blender - juice / tea / coffee
meat packager - food and beverage processing
meat processing
meat-packing
mixer, seasoning / soft drink
neutralizer, corn starch
packaging
poultry processing
produce processing
sampler, food and beverage products
tender, food-cooler / tumbler / centrifuge
vinegar maker
weigher / tare assessor
yeast processing / yeast sampler

Earnings

Annual provincial median salary

$29,198

Source: 2017 Job Bank Wage data

Note:Estimated median employment income based on 2017 Job Bank median hourly wage rate (median annual salary = hourly wage rate x 40 (hours per week) x 52.14 (weeks per year))

Provincial hourly rate

High
Median
Low

Source: 2017 Job Bank Wage Report

B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2018-2028)

Provincial outlook

Forecasted average employment growth rate

2018 - 2023
2023 - 2028

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Job openings

10 year expected job openings: 2,870

2018
2023
2028

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Composition of job openings

New jobs due to economic growth:
27.1%
780 openings

Replacement of retiring workers:
72.9%
2,100 openings

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Regional outlook

Cariboo

Employment in 2018:

50

Average annual employment growth:

-0.3%

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Kootenay

Employment in 2018:

140

Average annual employment growth:

0.3%

Expected number of job openings:

40

Mainland / Southwest

Employment in 2018:

7,080

Average annual employment growth:

1.0%

Expected number of job openings:

2,600

North Coast & Nechako

Employment in 2018:

N/A

Average annual employment growth:

N/A

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Northeast

Employment in 2018:

N/A

Average annual employment growth:

N/A

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Thompson-Okanagan

Employment in 2018:

480

Average annual employment growth:

0.2%

Expected number of job openings:

110

Vancouver Island / Coast

Employment in 2018:

410

Average annual employment growth:

1.1%

Expected number of job openings:

120

N/A - Data not available

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Duties

Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing perform some or all of the following duties:

transport raw materials, finished products and packaging materials throughout plants and warehouses manually or using powered equipment
measure and dump ingredients into hoppers of mixing and grinding machines or mobile tank trucks
feed flattened boxes into forming machines to construct containers
remove filled containers from conveyors and manually pack goods into bags, boxes or other containers
clean work areas and equipment
check products and packaging for basic quality defects
help machine and process control operators with their duties

Work environment

Key aspects of the work in this occupation:

Work takes place in an indoor plant environment.
Working with machinery poses the risk of causing injury.
Workers may be exposed to noise and strong, unpleasant odours.

Workforce and employment statistics

Workforce characteristics

8,400 workers are employed

39% of workers are working mostly full time

Source: 2016 Census

Employment by gender

Men

Women

Source: 2016 Census

Employment by age group

15 - 24 years

25 - 44 years

45 - 64 years

65+ years

Source: 2016 Census

Labour force by industry

Manufacturing:

69%

Wholesale Trade:

18%

Retail Trade:

8%

Transportation and Warehousing:

2%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services:

1%

View more industry data

Source: 2016 Census

Employment by region

% employment of this occupation

% employment of all occupations

Cariboo

Kootenay

Mainland / Southwest

North Coast & Nechako

Northeast

Thompson-Okanagan

Vancouver Island / Coast

Source: 2016 Census

Job requirements

Education, training & qualifications

There is some mobility among occupations in this unit group.
Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing may progress to machine or process operating positions with experience.

Skills

Motor Coordination
Methodical
Detail-Oriented
Spatial Perception
Numerical Ability

View skills definitions

Education programs in B.C.

The following program areas are related to this occupation:

Academic/Basic Upgrading

For more information about programs offered specifically for this career, visit EducationPlannerBC.

Related careers

Career paths and resources

Career paths

There is some movement among occupations in this group. Labourers in food, beverage and tobacco processing may, with experience, progress to machine or process operating positions.

Additional resources

Additional resources are not currently available for this career.

Labourers in food and beverage processing (NOC 9617)

About this job

Packaging associate

Earnings

Annual provincial median salary

Provincial hourly rate

B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2018-2028)

Provincial outlook

Forecasted average employment growth rate

Job openings

Composition of job openings

Regional outlook

Duties

Work environment

Workforce and employment statistics

Workforce characteristics

Employment by gender

Employment by age group

Labour force by industry

Employment by region

Job requirements

Education, training & qualifications

Skills

Education programs in B.C.

Related careers

Career paths and resources

General Labourer

Meat Wrapper / Customer Service

Baker Helper