Workforce Employment & Safety
Nearly 500,000 people work in the U.S. meat & poultry industry. Our industry has long been a starting point for new Americans. In the early 20th century in the U.S., many foreign born workers hailed from Europe. Today, U.S. companies employ people born many other countries and continents, including Africa, Asia, Mexico and Central South America. Our starting wages are more than twice the minimum wage for jobs requiring no formal training and benefits help ensure that our employees can build good lives and benefit from the opportunities that our industry has to offer.
Wages and Benefits
Maintaining competitive wages and benefits is a key element in retaining these workers, and fulfilling the ongoing resource needs of the nation's meat packing/processing operations. As of 2009, the most recent year of data available, workers in meat and poultry plants averaged about $13.16/hour, and typically worked a 40 hour week. This wage compares favorably with a number of other occupations, and is nearly double the U.S. minimum wage. Benefits include health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, pension/401K plans, educational assistance, and other programs. As workforce needs are not expected to diminish in the industry, continued emphasis on providing competitive wages and benefits will remain an issue of great importance.