Packer (General)
What the work is
Packs, wraps, fills, labels and seals containers by hand or machine for a wide variety of products such as food, beverages, paints, oils and lotions.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Operates machinery and equipment to fill containers, bottles or boxes with products
- Inspects goods to ensure they are free of defects and meet quality standards
- Weighs and measures goods to ensure they are packaged correctly
- Seals the containers, bottles or boxes securely using appropriate methods to safeguard the contents during storage or transit
- Affixes labels to packages, indicating contents, destination, weight and other relevant information
- Organises and arranges packaged goods for storage or shipment
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a busy fruit and vegetable packing shed during a peak harvest week. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A pallet of perfectly packed boxes rolls out and you know every one is right
- The team falls into a rhythm and the whole line runs without a hitch
- A grower stops by to say the fruit looked beautiful on the shelves in town
Hard days
- Standing at a bench for hours doing the same movement over and over
- The scales drift and a whole tray needs repacking when the truck is nearly here
- A rush week with long days and a boss who wants more every hour
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 832131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.