95103 – Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing
Lead statement
Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing carry out a variety of general labouring and routine wood processing activities and assist pulp mill and papermaking machine operators.
Main duties
- Feed logs onto conveyor and into hopper of grinding machine and align logs manually, using crowbar, picaroon or other tools and equipment
- Load wood chips, pulpwood, sulphur and other processing materials onto conveyors or processing tanks, remove recyclable paper and pulp from pulp and papermaking machines and transport recyclable paper and pulp to plant processing machines and equipment using forklift or other powered equipment
- Sort, pile and transport lumber, veneer sheets, panelboards and similar wood products during various stages of wood processing, manually or with powered equipment
- Remove scrap lumber and wood chips for reprocessing using forklift or other powered equipment
- Feed conveyors, saws, drying machines and other equipment to process lumber, shingles, veneer, plywood and similar wood products
- Clean wood processing machines and equipment and work areas using shovels, hoses and other tools
- Assist other wood processing workers to operate, maintain and repair various machines and equipment and carry out other wood processing activities.
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is required by the pulp and paper industry and by other large employers.
Example job titles
bag-making machine tender helper · barking machine cleaner - wood processing · beater helper - pulp and paper · beater operator helper - pulp and paper · bolt loader - sawmill · broke hustler - pulp and paper · brown stock washer helper - pulp and paper · cant loader - wood processing · car stacker - wood processing · carton-forming machine feeder · chip storage attendant - wood processing · chain conveyor tender - sawmill · chain conveyor tender - wood processing · chainman/woman - wood processing · chip bin attendant - wood processing · chip dump operator - wood processing · chip silo attendant - wood processing · coating machine helper · combiner machine helper · conveyor cleaner - pulp and paper · corrugator-operator helper · cutter helper - pulp and paper · dry chain offbearer - wood processing · dry chainman/woman - wood processing · feeder - wood processing · fifth hand - pulp and paper · green wood chainman/woman - wood processing · green sorter - wood processing · greensaw offbearer - wood processing · grinder feeder - pulp and paper · hand bundler - wood processing · hog machine tender - wood processing · hot plate press tender helper · jack ladder tender · paper converting labourer · labourer - pulp and paper · pulp and paper labourer · labourer - wood processing · wood processing labourer · plywood and veneer plant labourer
Wages (per hour)
| Province / territory | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $18.00 | $24.13 | $33.95 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00 | $18.21 | $21.50 |
| Nova Scotia | $16.50 | $21.00 | $32.08 |
| New Brunswick | $17.00 | $22.50 | $27.08 |
| Quebec | $18.00 | $23.35 | $30.00 |
| Ontario | $17.60 | $21.00 | $30.00 |
| Manitoba | $17.10 | $21.27 | $29.16 |
| Saskatchewan | $17.85 | $24.12 | $33.53 |
| Alberta | $20.72 | $23.00 | $32.00 |
| British Columbia | $22.00 | $32.00 | $36.00 |
Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.
Occupation details: ESDC OaSIS 2025, based on NOC 2021.