Warehouses are the backbone of the supply chain process and are necessary to transport goods and materials from vendors to customers. Warehouse job workers are necessary for this process and help keep distribution plans running efficiently for businesses.
For this reason, warehouses are ubiquitous these days, and the United States currently employs over 2,025,059 warehouse employees, according to data from Zippia. So, how much can a warehouse worker expect to make, and what does it take to land one of these positions?
Warehouse workers fill positions that usually require physical labor; therefore, they must be able to exert a healthy level of fitness and agility on the job. However, if you qualify for a warehouse position, you may find that this line of work can pay quite well, depending on your title, location, and other related factors. Read on to learn more about the highest paying warehouse jobs.
Common High Paying Warehouse Positions
The warehousing and storage job sector employs various positions and often seeks new talent to fill open roles within warehouses, storage facilities, or depots. In the subsections below, you can learn more information and details regarding the various high-paying warehouse jobs and some of the responsibilities and qualifications you might find in a warehouse worker job description.
Warehouse Worker
General warehouse worker positions, also known as warehouse associate positions, are usually tasked with assisting in warehouse operations such as receiving and inventory management processes. These workers may be responsible for carrying out activities like staging products, loading and unloading materials and equipment from delivery vehicles and loading platforms, and moving materials within the warehouse facility. These warehouse associate workers may also perform picker duties to locate materials within the facility and prepare orders for shipment.
While warehouse workers may be expected to operate warehouse machinery to handle and transport materials, workers should still be capable of lifting and moving at least 60 lbs. Warehouse workers should also be detail-oriented for inventory management tasks and should be team players who can work well with other members of the facility. While experience in warehouse settings is preferred, it usually is not required to land one of these roles. However, warehouse associate workers should be willing to learn, be flexible and able to prioritize several tasks, and be dedicated to ensuring proper safety practices in their positions. In addition, all warehouse workers must adhere to OSHA regulations.
Warehouse worker roles pay an average base salary of $42,861 per year, according to Indeed.
Forklift Operator
Forklift operators may be responsible for some of the general duties required by other warehouse workers. However, their title is special, as it involves the safe and responsible use of warehouse equipment to transport material to and from trucks and areas within the storage facility or depot. Forklift operators must use forklifts and other equipment while maintaining safety compliance according to their company policy. They perform tasks like preparing orders by transporting accurate materials in place for customer pick up or delivery, ensuring equipment is maintained according to their company’s operating standards, and reporting on maintenance or equipment issues with the appropriate yard managers. They should also load and unload trucks with materials quickly, efficiently, and accurately.
This position requires that workers be able to utilize warehouse equipment like forklifts, hand trucks, rack jacks, conveyors, and/or other handling tools to move materials safely. Therefore, candidates must be properly certified to carry out these tasks.
Forklift operator roles pay an average base salary of $40,249 per year, according to Indeed.
Loader/Unloader
“Loaders” or “Unloaders” are warehouse workers who handle and transport materials and products to process customer orders and ensure that incoming and outgoing shipments are properly managed. They generally work within shipping operations to load outgoing shipment materials onto delivery vehicles and/or unload incoming shipment materials from delivery vehicles. Other responsibilities may include checking work orders to determine the type/amount of items that will be received or shipped out, checking picker-selected orders to ensure they have the correct information, tagging outgoing shipments with the correct information, and ensuring that all order paperwork is updated appropriately.
This position requires workers to be agile and strong, as the role is highly physical. Therefore workers should be able to lift and carry at least 60 lbs of materials and complete tasks quickly and efficiently under time constraints. They also must be able to properly use basic tools, follow written/oral instructions, and properly maintain warehouse order paperwork.
Loader/Unloader roles pay an average base salary of $38,734 per year, according to Indeed.
Stocking Associate
Stocking associates can work in warehouses or for retail companies and are tasked with handling and managing product inventory. Unlike other warehouse associate jobs, this position involves tasks like receiving and checking incoming shipments, organizing and stocking materials in the warehouse, and ensuring that products are properly prepared for delivery. Stocking associates also should maintain proper records for all inventory and materials, which may require that they operate warehousing software for this purpose. They may also need to use warehouse software to check the location of products within the warehouse, keep track of merchandise, return defective materials, and order new inventory as needed.
Stocking associates should have an eye for detail and be good at maintaining order and organization within their operations. They should also have good math skills and communication skills and be able to use equipment like RF scanners to scan boxes and place them in correct locations within the warehouse facility or depot.
Stocking associate roles pay an average base salary of $35,679 per year, according to Indeed.
Assembly Technician
Assembly technicians work within warehouse facilities to assemble materials and prepare them for sale as finished products. They should maintain and update all products according to their company’s specifications and adhere to all FDA, ISO, and GMP quality regulations. They assemble finished products using blueprints, which may involve calibrating, soldering and testing electrical components. Assembly technicians should also manage the inventory of their materials in order to place orders for more materials as needed. To ensure that their completed products are of appropriate quality, these workers may also perform quality testing.
Assembly technicians must be able to read and understand blueprints, instructions, and diagrams in order to complete their warehousing job tasks and ensure that the finished item’s components are properly installed. They should adhere to all of the necessary ESD and clean room protocols and use personal protection equipment correctly to ensure safety. These workers must have good hand-eye coordination and be able to use specialized hand tools to create final products from materials. This job may require related training or proven work experience as an assembly technician or within a similar role.
Assembly technician roles pay an average base salary of $37,492 per year, according to Indeed.
Material Handler
Material handlers carry out tasks to manage the production and distribution of products. This can include locating and packing products for shipment and staging the finished products for their final distribution. To prepare the finished products, these workers may need to identify, pull, pack, create, load, and secure each product, upkeep documentation for incoming and outgoing shipments, and communicate with the warehouse shipping clerk. There are various inventory maintenance processes that material handlers may be responsible for, like opening containers to sort and catalog materials, documenting materials based on the units delivered and their locations, and verifying received materials, quantities, supply codes, and lot numbers. This way, they can maintain their inventory of necessary materials and report shortages as needed. Material handlers may need to operate warehousing machinery to complete their job tasks and pull supplies and should keep their loading areas, inventory, and machinery tidy.
Material handlers must possess strong organizational and time management skills and be able to properly analyze and understand order information. In addition, data entry skills are necessary to update the warehouse databases regarding materials and inventory. A high school diploma or GED may be required for this role, and previous experience in material handling or a similar role is preferred.
Material handler roles pay an average base salary of $35,761 per year, according to Indeed.
High Paying Warehouse Jobs – Adia Locations
Are you looking for high-paying warehouse positions? If so, you may be in luck! The Adia on-demand staffing platform is currently helping employers find talent for their high-paying warehouse jobs hiring in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and other cities across the United States! Adia’s on-demand staffing proudly serves a variety of organizations within the warehousing and storage, manufacturing, retail, production, and hospitality industries. And if Adia is not Adia providing staffing solutions near you, never fear. Adia is constantly updating their list of areas where they provide staffing services for businesses and workers, so check in later if your area is not currently on the list!
How to Get a Well-Paid Warehouse Job
So, how can you land a high-paying warehouse job? Well, fortunately, warehouse jobs commonly don’t usually require a degree, which means that getting a well-paid position in the warehousing and storage industry is pretty straightforward. It is easy to find warehouse part-time jobs or permanent positions around the country.
Of course, being that degrees are not usually required for warehouse roles, this will result in higher competition for the role. But if you have more of the preferred attributes of a top-notch warehouse job candidate, you will be more likely to land the roles.
Warehouse job employers usually prefer candidates who are able to lift, carry, and transport at least 60 lbs of materials. Ideal warehouse job candidates usually have past job experience in warehouses or working similar roles. For certain positions like forklift operator roles, specific certifications may be required.
Is a Warehouse Position Right for You?
To determine whether a warehouse position would be right for you, you should consider the physically demanding nature of these roles and the important skills and character traits that are necessary for working in the warehouse industry.
In addition to needing physical strength and agility to perform their jobs, warehouse industry workers should work well with others members of the team. They should be detail-oriented individuals who are able to maintain OSHA standards within each of their job tasks and support the health and safety of themselves and the rest of their work team members. These jobs also require good time management skills and the ability to handle and prioritize multiple complex tasks at once. Finally, these positions also require that workers are proficient in meeting multiple deadlines and upkeeping high-quality standards for their hiring organization.
Looking to Hire Warehouse Workers?
If you are looking to hire reliable warehouse workers, look no further. The Adia on-demand platform provides warehouse staffing services to employers looking for qualified workers to fill their open roles. To learn more about what Adia can do for you and your organization, visit their website at https://adia.works/ for more information.
