About the job
Labourers in this group perform material handling, clean-up, packaging and other elemental activities related to food and beverage processing. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, meat plants, breweries and other food and beverage processing and packaging plants.
- Transport raw materials, finished products and packaging materials throughout plant and warehouse manually, or with powered equipment.
- Measure and dump ingredients into hoppers of mixing and grinding machines or mobile tank trucks.
- Feed and unload food, beverage and associated products processing machines.
- 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.
- Assist process control and machine operators in performing their duties.
- bakery labourer
- brewery labourer
- dairy helper - food and beverage processing
- industrial butcher helper
- labourer - food and beverage processing
- meat packer - food and beverage processing
- production helper - food and beverage processing
To work in these jobs, you should have good physical health. You must also be able to take direction and carry out instructions given by a supervisor.
- Some secondary school education may be required.
Generally, this work is carried out in shifts at various hours of the day or on a part-time basis. There is some mobility among jobs in this group. Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing may progress to machine or process operating positions with experience.
Labour Market Information
The employment outlook over the next few years for this occupational group is “average”, which indicates the chances of a qualified individual finding work is comparable to the average for all occupations in Nova Scotia. This is a fairly large occupation in Nova Scotia so job opportunities occur fairly regularly. The number employed in this occupation is expected to remain largely the same over the next few years. With a large percent of workers being 55 years of age and older, retirements are expected to be a key contributor to employment opportunities over the coming years. Labourers in Food, Beverage, and Associated Products Processing most commonly work full-time hours. Furthermore, the jobs may either be permanent or temporary positions, as both are common.
The median employment income for 42% of Labourers in Food, Beverage, and Associated Products Processing who worked full-time, year-round in 2015 was $33,889. Across all occupations in Nova Scotia, 59% of those who worked full-time year round had a median employment income of $43,600.
(Source: 2016 Census)
| Occupation | Estimated employment in 2018 | Estimated change in employment between 2017 and 2019 | Estimated openings due to growth and retirements, 2017-2019 | Estimated rate of unemployment in 2018 | Estimated hourly earnings in 2015 (learn more) | Estimated annual earnings in 2015 |
| Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | 975 | stable | 60 | High | Minimum: $11.95 Median: $14.00 Maximum: $20.65 | Minimum: $4,317 Median: $20,483 Maximum: $45,784 |
| Occupations in Manufacturing and Utilities | 15,275 | Weak growth | 1,275 | Moderate | Minimum: $12.00 Median: $18.75 Maximum: $30.00 | Minimum: $6,056 Median: $30,111 Maximum: $70,518 |
| Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | Compared to: Occupations in Manufacturing and Utilities | |
| Percent employed full-time | 81% | 87% |
| Percent self-employed | 10% | 3% |
| Area of Employment | Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | Compared to: All NS Occupations | ||
| % Employed | Median Annual Income | % Employed | Median Annual Income | |
| Southern | 15% | $23,549 | 12% | $30,581 |
| Northern | 24% | $22,427 | 16% | $33,660 |
| Cape Breton | 8% | x | 13% | $32,974 |
| Halifax | 15% | $22,903 | 47% | $41,209 |
| Annapolis Valley | 39% | $22,806 | 13% | $32,958 |
| Age | Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | Compared to: All Manufacturing and Utilities |
| % Employed | % Employed | |
| 15-24 | 19% | 3% |
| 25-34 | 21% | 5% |
| 35-44 | 12% | 21% |
| 45-54 | 23% | 42% |
| 55-64 | 22% | 29% |
| 65+ | 4% | 3% |
| Median Age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender | Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | Compared to: Occupations in Manufacturing and Utilities |
| % Employed | % Employed | |
| Female | 43% | 28% |
| Male | 57% | 72% |
| Education | Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | Compared to: All Manufacturing and Utilities | ||
| % Employed | Median Annual Income | % Employed | Median Annual Income | |
| Less than high school | 28.7% | x | 22.9% | $21,011 |
| High school | 43.4% | $32,754 | 38.1% | $28,358 |
| Trades certificate | 6.4% | x | 12.4% | $37,356 |
| College certificate or diploma | 16.7% | x | 20.3% | $36,968 |
| University certificate or diploma | 0.8% | x | 1.1% | $35,915 |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.4% | x | 4.4% | $36,852 |
| University advanced certificate or diploma | N/A | x | 0.3% | $55,581 |
| Master's degree | N/A | x | 0.5% | x |
| Doctorate | N/A | x | N/A | $25,380 |
| Medicine, dentistry, veterinary, optometry | N/A | x | 0.1% | N/A |
| Total | 100% | 100% | ||
Hourly earnings data are from the Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada. Data are not available for all occupations. Hourly earnings are calculated based on usual hours worked per week. This is how an annual salary, for instance, gets converted to an hourly rate. The data include full and part-time workers along with new and experienced workers. Self-employed workers are excluded.
Annual employment income data reported in the Work Prospects section, are from the 2011 National Household Survey by Statistics Canada. Much of the data (around 70%) came directly from tax records. The data relates to the year 2010 and includes total wages and salaries and net income from self-employment.
Employment Requirements & Contacts
Training Paths & Education
This instructional program class comprises any program that defines the prescribed requirements, specified by the appropriate jurisdiction, for the completion of and graduation from a secondary school program of academic subject matter offered for adult learners outside of the regular secondary school program. This does not include adult compensatory education programs resulting in completion of a high school equivalency certificate or diploma.
There are no additional resources for this occupation.