Rubber Goods Production Workers
Overview
Introduction
Rubber goods production workers make items out of natural and synthetic rubber materials. They soften, shape, cure, cut, mold, and otherwise treat rubber to make thousands of different products, from household goods to parts for spacecrafts.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
The earnings of workers in rubber goods production vary widely according to the workers skills, seniority, the hours they work, and other factors. Many workers are members of unions, and their pay is determined by agreements between the union and company management. In general, earnings compare favorably to those of workers in other production jobs in industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of L...
Work Environment
Most employees in rubber goods production plants work about 40.5 hours per week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Conditions on the job are generally quite safe. Plants are equipped with special ventilation systems to remove heat, fumes, and dust, and safety features on machinery protect workers from most injuries. Most plants are well lighted and have comfortable heating and cooling ...
Outlook
Overall employment in the rubber industry has been declining. Through 2029, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that opportunities for crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders and for cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders will shrink by 6 and 5 percent, respectively. Employment is expected to decline by 2 percent for hand cutters and tri...