职业描述：Machine Operators in Pulp and Paper Production (943)

Machine Operators and Related Workers in Pulp and Paper Production and Wood Processing (943)

At Work
People in this group work for sawmills, planing mills, pulp and paper and other wood processing companies, wood treatment and waferboard plants, and paper products manufacturers.
Sawmill machine operators control automated equipment to saw, trim and plane rough lumber, and saw and split shingles and shakes.
Pulp mill machine operators run and monitor screening equipment, digesters, mixing tanks and other machinery to produce pulp.
Other wood processing machine operators remove bark from logs, produce wood chips, preserve and treat wood and produce waferboards, plywood and similar wood products.
Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders inspect and grade lumber, shingles, particle board and similar products.

Education, Training and Experience
People in this group usually need some high school or a high school diploma.

Employers usually provide on-the-job training and may provide formal training.
They may require experience in operating various machines as labourers or utility maintenance workers.
They may need an industrial first-aid certificate.
Pulp mill machine operators may require a college diploma in forest products processing or a related subject.
Wood processing operators may need college or company courses.
Lumber graders require a lumber grader's licence issued by a provincial lumber association.

About these Occupations
43,000 persons were employed in these occupations in 1996, an increase of 3.4% from 1986. Over the same period, employment in all occupations grew by 13.1%.

35% of these workers are sawmill machine operators. The rest work in a variety of occupations in pulp and paper processing and wood processing.
5% of these workers work part-time, well below the average of 19% in all occupations.
8% of these workers are self-employed, compared to an average of 16% for all occupations.
12% of workers in these occupations are women, well below the average of 45% for all occupations.
The unemployment rate in these occupations averaged 8.6% from 1994 to 1996, compared to an average of 6.7% for all occupations.
Average earnings of year-round, full-time workers in these occupations in 1995 were $35,700, equal to the average for all occupations. These earnings are among the highest for workers at this skill level.
Persons 15 to 29 years old are a large proportion of new hires in these occupations, indicating that these are often entry-level positions.
Employment in these occupations is highly sensitive to overall economic conditions and moderately seasonal.

Full-Time Earnings

1995 Full-Time Earnings*
$53,700 Highest
$35,700 Average
$17,300 Lowest

* Full-time earnings of the highest 10%, the average and the lowest 10% of workers. $35,700 is the average for all occupations.

Looking to the Year 2001
Current labour market conditions for new entrants in these occupations are good. Labour market conditions for new entrants will remain good through the year 2001.

Increasing use of computerized equipment could improve prospects for those new entrants with appropriate education or experience.
Most of the increase in labour requirements through 2001 for these occupations will occur in the wood products and paper products industries.