Summary Report for:
45-2092.01 - Nursery Workers
Work in nursery facilities or at customer location planting, cultivating, harvesting, and transplanting trees, shrubs, or plants.
Sample of reported job titles:
Nursery Worker, Grower, Greenhouse Worker, Plant Production Worker, Transplant Worker, Cutter, Field Hand, Garden Center Employee, Harvester, Nursery Harvester
Tasks | Tools & Technology | Knowledge | Skills | Abilities | Work Activities | Work Context | Job Zone | Education | Interests | Work Styles | Work Values | Related Occupations | Wages & Employment | Job Openings
Tasks
- Plant, spray, weed, fertilize, and water plants, shrubs, and trees, using hand tools and gardening tools.
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
- Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease.
- Operate tractors and other machinery and equipment to fertilize, cultivate, harvest, and spray fields and plants.
- Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality.
- Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs.
- Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors.
- Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.
- Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels.
- Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.
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Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Broadcast spreaders — Garden hand seeders; Mulch spreaders; Rotary spreaders; Sand spreaders |
| Greenhouse ventilation equipment — Carbon dioxide systems; Greenhouse ventilation systems; Humidity systems |
| Hand sprayers — Hand held sprayers; Hose-end sprayers; Tree marking guns |
| Lawnmowers — Reel mowers; Rotary mowers; Vertical mowers |
| Saws — Arborist saws; Compass saws; Hacksaws; Pruning saws |
| Secateurs or pruning shears — Anvil pruners; Loppers; Root pruning scissors; Thorn strippers |
| Utility knives — Bench grafting knives; Budding knives; Pruning knives; Rose budding knives |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Electronic mail software — IBM Lotus Notes |
| Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel |
| Word processing software — Microsoft Word |
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Knowledge
| English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
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Skills
| Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
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Abilities
| Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. |
| Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing. |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. |
| Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. |
| Stamina — The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. |
| Extent Flexibility — The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs. |
| Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
| Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. |
| Dynamic Strength — The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue. |
| Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
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Work Activities
| Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials. |
| Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. |
| Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
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Work Context
| Spend Time Standing — How much does this job require standing? |
| Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? |
| Exposed to Contaminants — How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)? |
| Outdoors, Exposed to Weather — How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions? |
| Physical Proximity — To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — How much does this job require making repetitive motions? |
| Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? |
| Duration of Typical Work Week — Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings — How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings? |
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Job Zone
| Title |
Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed |
| Education |
Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate. |
| Related Experience |
Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before. |
| Job Training |
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job. |
| Job Zone Examples |
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, construction laborers, continuous mining machine operators, and waiters/waitresses. |
| SVP Range |
(Below 4.0) |
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Education
Percentage of Respondents |
Education Level Required |
57   |
High school diploma or equivalent |
| 23 |
Less than high school diploma |
| 13 |
Doctoral or professional degree |
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Interests
Interest code: R
| Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others. |
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Work Styles
| Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. |
| Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical. |
| Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. |
| Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. |
| Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. |
| Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. |
| Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. |
| Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. |
| Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. |
| Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. |
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Work Values
| Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
| Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. |
| Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
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Related Occupations
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Wages & Employment Trends
National
Median wages data collected from Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse.
Employment data collected from Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers.
Industry data collected from Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers.
| Median wages (2012) |
$8.98 hourly, $18,670 annual |
| Employment (2010) |
746,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2010-2020) |
Decline slowly or moderately (-3% to -9%)
|
| Projected job openings (2010-2020) |
227,400 |
| Top industries (2010) |
|
State & National
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012 wage data
and 2010-2020 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2010-2020). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.
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Job Openings on the Web
Find Jobs
for Nursery Workers
State & National Job Banks
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