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Boston Career Explorer

Transportation and Material Moving

Machine Feeders and Offbearers

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

Also called: Cotton Tipper, Dryer Feeder, Feeder, Lug Loader, Machine Feeder, Offbearer

Median pay in Greater Boston
$45,320
$21.79/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
360
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−12.8%
30 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$42,640$42,640$45,320$51,950$59,690

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure18 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 15
  • Language-model AIOE 17
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 21

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is low, and AI tools are not much used in it today. The bigger change is automated equipment that loads and unloads machines, and that is a main reason jobs are expected to decline. AI tools may help with recording production data and checking products, but running controls and handling materials stay hands-on.

Likely to change

  • Recording production and processing data
  • Checking products against specifications

Still relies on people

  • Feeding and removing materials at machines
  • Starting, stopping, and adjusting machine controls

What federal projections say

“Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as automated equipment replaces roles of loading and unloading products and materials into machinery and equipment.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

    You already work machine controls and check materials. This job adds adjusting speeds and pressures, and it is expected to grow slightly.

    Pay difference
    +$2,410 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Your familiarity with machines carries over. This job repairs them, and it pays more with strong growth, though it needs longer on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$29,880 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +17.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    Knowing how production machines run helps with routine inspections and fixes. This job offers higher pay and steady growth with moderate training.

    Pay difference
    +$14,350 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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