Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
What Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders Do
Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 8.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 3.6/5
- English Languageimportance 3.3/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.0/5
- Food Productionimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.3/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.3/5
- Mechanicalimportance 2.2/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.8/5
- Spend Time Standing4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
- Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled4.4/5
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.4/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.3/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic95% skill match
- Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic95% skill match
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers95% skill match
- Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders94% skill match
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders93% skill match
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall93% skill match
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood93% skill match
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
- Achievement Orientation
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1St. Joseph, MO-KS12.53× national avg
- 2Salinas, CA12.36× national avg
- 3Rocky Mount, NC10.16× national avg
- 4Sioux City, IA-NE-SD6.36× national avg
- 5Merced, CA5.82× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and TendersLateral Move
- Conveyor Operators and TendersCareer Change
- Semiconductor Processing TechniciansLateral Move
- Continuous Mining Machine OperatorsCareer Change