Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RC

Machine Feeders and Offbearers

Feed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.

Also called: Dryer Feeder, Feeder, Machine Feeder, Offbearer, Cotton Tipper, Lug Loader, Sawmill Worker, Sewing Line Baler.

O*NET 53-7063.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $41,220; Middle half earn $36,420 to $48,480. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 73% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Inspect materials and products for defects, and to ensure conformance to specifications.
Record production and operational data, such as amount of materials processed.
Push dual control buttons and move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment.
Weigh or measure materials or products to ensure conformance to specifications.
Identify and mark materials, products, and samples, following instructions.
Clean and maintain machinery, equipment, and work areas to ensure proper functioning and safe working conditions.
Load materials and products into machines and equipment, or onto conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices.
Remove materials and products from machines and equipment, and place them in boxes, trucks or conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Active Listening2.8 / 5
Speaking2.8 / 5
Critical Thinking2.5 / 5
Writing2.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing3.4 / 5
Mechanical3.1 / 5
Mathematics3.0 / 5
English Language2.9 / 5
Public Safety and Security2.7 / 5
Education and Training2.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic99
Investigative18
Artistic0
Social0
Enterprising0
Conventional58

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

animal feed operator · DE Mitarbeiter in der Futtermittelherstellung/Mitarbeiterin in der Futtermittelherstellung · FR opérateur de l'alimentation animale/opératrice de l'alimentation animale

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (8111)129,900 employed
Plant and machine operatives n.e.c. (8139)22,500 employed
Butchers (5431)21,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.04. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-7063).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test