Food-processing

Most employees in manual food-processing jobs require little or no training prior to being hired.
As more jobs involving cutting and processing meat shift from retail stores to food-processing plants, job growth will be concentrated among lesser skilled workers, who are employed primarily in manufacturing.

Demographics

Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers

Full-time wage and salary workers, 2004
Employment Median weekly earnings
$ W/M ratio
Women
(emp.) (earn.) 51,000 $369 0.756
Men
(emp.) (earn.) 209,000 $488
All workers
(emp.) (earn.) 260,000 $454

source: Current Population Survey; about this section

1999 employment and earnings distribution, year-round full-time workers

Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers

	Percentile earnings distribution
	10th	25th	50th	75th	90th
All workers employment: 180,200 average earnings: $27,000	$13,000	$17,000	$24,000	$34,000	$45,000
Men employment: 145,240 average earnings: $27,000	$14,000	$19,000	$26,000	$36,000	$48,000
Women employment: 34,960 average earnings: $19,000	$11,000	$14,000	$18,000	$23,000	$29,000

source: Bureau of the Census; about this section

2004 Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure

Occupation	Fatalities: Event or exposure
Occupation	Total	Tran.	Viol.	Cont.	Falls	Expo.	Fires
Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers	10	5	-	-	-	-	-

source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities Program; about this section

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