Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Overview

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers has a national median salary of $38,300 per year, with +5.7% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

Work Values

• Support
• Relationships
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
• Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
• Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
• Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
• Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Processing Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Detailed Work Activities

• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for no formal educational credential.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:

Video Resources