Butchers and meat cutters receive wholesale meat cuts and divide those cuts into retail-sized portions to be sold in restaurant suppliers, grocery stores, and cafeterias and other institutions. They use slicers, knives, and bandsaws to produce various types of cuts. Retail butchers may also weigh, wrap, and arrange meats, as well as fill special customer orders.
Job Skills
Certain basic skills are required of butchers. They need to possess good coordination and depth perception, adequate physical strength, and the ability to distinguish between colors. Depending on the State in which they work, a health certificate may be required as well. Retail butchers who interact with customers should have a professional appearance and friendly disposition.
Income
In 2002, butchers and meat cutters earned a median annual salary of $25,500. Earnings ranged from the lowest 10 percent, who earned less than $15,490, and the highest 10 percent, who earned more than $42,330. The highest median annual salaries were found in butchers employed at the retail level.
Training and Education
Minimal to no training is required to obtain a job as a slaughterer or meatpacker. Most employees are trained on the job. Depending on the employer, this training can be formal or informal. Training begins with the more elementary techniques, such as basic cutting and bone removal, and progresses to more advance skills, such as dividing carcasses and curing meat. Many employers have begun to combat the rising concern about meat safety by offering more employee training on the subject.
Employment
Out of the nearly 757,000 food processing jobs in 2002, about 132,000 people were employed as butchers and meat cutters.
Job Outlook
Between 2002 and 2012, the number of retail butchers and meat cutters is expected to continue to decline, mostly due to automation and consolidation of the industry. Jobs are being transferred from higher-paid, highly-skilled workers to lower-paid, less-skilled workers who mostly work in meatpacking plants. More and more meat arrives at retail outlets cut and prepackaged, reducing the need for butchers and meat cutters.
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