# Helpers--Production Workers

> Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 51-9198.00
- **Summary:** Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

## Aliases

- Helper
- Material Handler
- Press Helper
- Abrasive Mixer Helper
- Acid Filler
- Air and Water Filler
- Aircraft Machinist Helper
- Alodize Machine Helper
- Anglesmith Helper
- Animal Stunner
- Annealer Helper
- Apron Cleaner

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Count finished products to determine if product orders are complete. | Supplemental | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Load and unload items from machines, conveyors, and conveyances. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.f |
| Operate machinery used in the production process, or assist machine operators. | Core | 4.A.3.a.3.f |
| Place products in equipment or on work surfaces for further processing, inspecting, or wrapping. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.f |
| Examine products to verify conformance to quality standards. | Core | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Measure amounts of products, lengths of extruded articles, or weights of filled containers to ensure conformance to specifications. | Supplemental | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Separate products according to weight, grade, size, or composition of materials used to produce them. | Supplemental | 4.A.2.a.2.b |
| Mark or tag identification on parts. | Supplemental | 4.A.1.b.1.a |
| Turn valves to regulate flow of liquids or air, to reverse machines, to start pumps, or to regulate equipment. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.2.i |
| Start machines or equipment to begin production processes. | Core | 4.A.3.a.3.f |
| Mix ingredients according to specified procedures or formulas. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.1.a |
| Observe equipment operations so that malfunctions can be detected, and notify operators of any malfunctions. | Core | 4.A.1.a.2.a |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Operate industrial equipment. | 4.A.3.a.3.f |
| Inspect work to ensure standards are met. | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions. | 4.A.1.a.2.a |
| Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs. | 4.A.4.a.2.g |
| Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment. | 4.A.3.a.3.h |
| Count finished products or workpieces. | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information. | 4.A.1.b.1.a |
| Load materials into production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.f |
| Remove products or workpieces from production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.an |
| Clean work areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Clean production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Lubricate production equipment. | 4.A.3.b.5.a |
| Record operational or production data. | 4.A.3.b.6.h |
| Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading. | 4.A.2.a.2.b |
| Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids. | 4.A.3.a.2.i |
| Package products for storage or shipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.ap |
| Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.j |
| Signal others to coordinate work activities. | 4.A.4.b.1.b |
| Prepare materials for processing. | 4.A.3.a.2.m |
| Weigh finished products. | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Mix substances to create chemical solutions. | 4.A.3.a.1.a |
| Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Clean workpieces or finished products. | 4.A.3.a.1.h |
| Trim excess material from workpieces. | 4.A.3.a.2.l |
| Replace worn equipment components. | 4.A.3.b.4.c |
| Repair production equipment or tools. | 4.A.3.b.4.c |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.5 |
| Manual Dexterity | ability | 3.25 |
| Control Precision | ability | 3.25 |
| Static Strength | ability | 3.25 |
| Trunk Strength | ability | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3.12 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | ability | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | ability | 3.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | ability | 3.12 |
| Mechanical | knowledge | 3.05 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 3 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 3 |
| Perceptual Speed | ability | 3 |
| Stamina | ability | 3 |
| Extent Flexibility | ability | 3 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 2.88 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 2.88 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | ability | 2.88 |
| Depth Perception | ability | 2.88 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 2.88 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 2.75 |
| Visualization | ability | 2.75 |
| Reaction Time | ability | 2.75 |
| Auditory Attention | ability | 2.75 |
| Production and Processing | knowledge | 2.74 |
| Mathematics | knowledge | 2.74 |
| English Language | knowledge | 2.69 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 2.62 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 2.62 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 2.62 |
| Operation and Control | transferable_skill | 2.62 |
| Quality Control Analysis | transferable_skill | 2.62 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Adobe Photoshop | Specialized Skill |
| Adobe InDesign | Specialized Skill |
| Adobe Acrobat | Specialized Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Operational Databases | Specialized Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Presentation Software | Specialized Skill |
| Installation | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Acrobat | Document management software | yes | no |
| Adobe InDesign | Desktop publishing software | yes | no |
| Adobe Photoshop | Graphics or photo imaging software | yes | no |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | Computer aided design CAD software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| SAP software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | yes | no |
| Operational databases | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 4.94 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 4.62 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.31 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 4.17 |
| Time Pressure | 4.09 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 4.06 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 3.89 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 3.88 |
| Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment | 3.87 |
| Contact With Others | 3.84 |
| Spend Time Standing | 3.75 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 3.74 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 3.69 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 3.54 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 3.52 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 3.51 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Equipment | 3.47 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 3.47 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 3.39 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 3.38 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 3.21 |
| Physical Proximity | 3.17 |
| Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures | 3.17 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 3.17 |
| Consequence of Error | 3.13 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 2.99 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 2.98 |
| Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions | 2.9 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 2.88 |
| In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment | 2.87 |
| Level of Competition | 2.76 |
| Degree of Automation | 2.62 |
| Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection | 2.57 |
| Exposed to High Places | 2.19 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 2.18 |
| Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions | 2.17 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 2.16 |
| Conflict Situations | 2.15 |
| Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions | 2.12 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | 2.12 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 2
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- **Experience:** Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- **Svp Range:** (Below 6.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma | 49.3 |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 32.24 |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 17.63 |
| Some College Courses | 0.83 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 6.54 |
| Physical/Manual Labor | specific_interest_area | 6.32 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 4.4 |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | specific_interest_area | 3.06 |
| Mechanics/Electronics | specific_interest_area | 2.49 |
| Construction/Woodwork | specific_interest_area | 2.33 |
| Dependability | work_style | 2.01 |
| Enterprising | career_interest_type | 1.89 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 1.67 |
| Engineering | specific_interest_area | 1.6 |
| Cooperation | work_style | 1.38 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 1.3 |
| Culinary Art | specific_interest_area | 1.23 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 1.19 |
| Artistic | career_interest_type | 1.14 |
| Agriculture | specific_interest_area | 1.11 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 49-9098.00 | role-49-9098-00 | Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers | Primary-Short |
| 47-5081.00 | role-47-5081-00 | Helpers--Extraction Workers | Primary-Short |
| 53-7063.00 | role-53-7063-00 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | Primary-Short |
| 47-3012.00 | role-47-3012-00 | Helpers--Carpenters | Primary-Short |
| 47-3011.00 | role-47-3011-00 | Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | Primary-Short |
| 47-3014.00 | role-47-3014-00 | Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | Primary-Long |
| 49-9043.00 | role-49-9043-00 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | Primary-Long |
| 53-7064.00 | role-53-7064-00 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | Primary-Long |
| 51-9191.00 | role-51-9191-00 | Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 53-7062.00 | role-53-7062-00 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | Primary-Long |
| 51-7042.00 | role-51-7042-00 | Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | Supplemental |
| 51-9196.00 | role-51-9196-00 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Advanced Manufacturing | advanced-manufacturing |

## Education Level

- **Category:** High school diploma or equivalent

## Study Programs


## Market

- **Median Wage:** 38220
- **Mean Wage:** 40080
- **Pct10Wage:** 30060
- **Pct25Wage:** 34390
- **Pct75Wage:** 44980
- **Pct90Wage:** 52120
- **Employment:** 167490
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 119580 | 38690 | 8.63 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 17940 | 34970 | 1.83 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 15430 | 34510 | 5.36 |
| 42 | 42 | Wholesale Trade | Sector | 6070 | 35380 | 0.93 |
| 23 | 23 | Construction | Sector | 5890 | 38810 | 0.67 |
| 81 | 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | Sector | 5310 | 40860 | 1.1 |
| 332710 | 332710 | Machine Shops | National industry | 2970 | 38140 | 10.53 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector | 2910 | 37920 | 0.17 |
| 54 | 54 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | Sector | 2180 | 37030 | 0.19 |
| 48-49 | 48-49 | Transportation and Warehousing | Sector | 1800 | 46500 | 0.22 |
| 51 | 51 | Information | Sector | 1580 | 38390 | 0.5 |
| 21 | 21 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | Sector | 1300 | 38510 | 2.09 |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 332710 | 332710 | Machine Shops | National industry | 2970 | 10.53 |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 119580 | 8.63 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 15430 | 5.36 |
| 513110 | 513110 | Newspaper Publishers | National industry | 250 | 2.54 |
| 21 | 21 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | Sector | 1300 | 2.09 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 17940 | 1.83 |
| 541380 | 541380 | Testing Laboratories and Services | National industry | 260 | 1.4 |
| 81 | 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | Sector | 5310 | 1.1 |
- **Count:** 32

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.66 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -1.411304 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -1.337081 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -1.35537 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 9
- **Percentile:** 5
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 6 | felten_aioe |
| 18 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 3 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -1.411304 | 6 | Low | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.13333333333333333 | 18 | Low | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.021475905400428694 | 3 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.66
- **Percentile:** 56
- **Band:** Moderate
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.044444444444444446
- **Beta:** 0.08888888888888889
- **Gamma:** 0.13333333333333333

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Record information, such as the number of products tested, meter readings, or dates and times of product production. | 0.019411771955843867 | 3.75 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** -8.9
- **Growth Percentile:** 7
- **Direction:** Declining
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 23.6
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 80
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 168.5
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 153.5

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Ai Playbook

- **Trusted Task Count:** 1
- **Task Count:** 2
- **Total Sample:** 70
- **Autonomy Median:** 2
- **Dominant Collaboration:** directive
- **Automation Share:** 64

### Collaboration

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| directive | 64 |

### Use Case

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| personal | 70 |

### Delegated Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Collaboration | Autonomy Median | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Record information, such as the number of products tested, meter readings, or dates and times of product production. | 0.005000625078134767 | directive | 2 | 50 |

### Boundary Tasks

| Task | Human Needed Percent | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Record information, such as the number of products tested, meter readings, or dates and times of product production. | 98 | 50 |

### Seed Prompts

| Prompt | Collaboration |
| --- | --- |
| Do this for me: record information, such as the number of products tested, meter readings, or dates and times of product production. Give me a finished draft I can review and adjust. | directive |
- **Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 30
- **Skills:** 40
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 11
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** ed3a6fb373854ed2