Occupation

Butchers and Meat Cutters

Human Advantage 68%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.5 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.

Also Known As: Beef Shoppe Clerk, Blockman, Butcher, Butcher Block Clerk, Cleaver, Halal Butcher, Hotel and Restaurant Butcher, Journeyman Meat Cutter +22 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye.
  2. Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat.
  3. Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form.
  4. Prepare special cuts of meat ordered by customers.
  5. Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery to ensure meat quality.
  6. Estimate requirements and order or requisition meat supplies to maintain inventories.
  7. Shape, lace, and tie roasts, using boning knife, skewer, and twine.

Supplemental Tasks (4)

  1. Record quantity of meat received and issued to cooks or keep records of meat sales.
  2. Supervise other butchers or meat cutters.
  3. Cure, smoke, tenderize, and preserve meat.
  4. Negotiate with representatives from supply companies to determine order details.

Emerging Tasks

New and evolving responsibilities for this role:

  • Clean and sanitize meat cases and cutting equipment.

Education & Training

Job Zone 2 Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
70%
Less than a High School Diploma
20%
Some College Courses
7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
2%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word

Software (6)

  • Financial accounting software
  • Web browser software

Tools & Equipment (58)

  • Air knives
  • Anti-griddles
  • Auto feed grinders
  • Bacon slicers
  • Balers
  • Beef shackles
  • Beef splitting saws
  • Bone dusters
  • Boning hooks
  • Boning knives
  • Bowl choppers
  • Breaking knives
  • Brisket cutters
  • Butcher knives
  • Butcher saws
  • Chefs' knives
  • Dicers
  • Dough mixers
  • Fish scalers
  • Fish skinners
  • Food metal detectors
  • Food thermometers
  • Frozen block grinders
  • Frozen food saws
  • Hamburger presses
  • Hand blenders
  • Handsaws
  • Hog shackles
  • Knife sharpeners
  • Label printers
  • Material conveyors
  • Meat cleavers
  • Meat cubers
  • Meat cutting band saws
  • Meat dehydrators
  • Meat hoists
  • Meat scales
  • Meat stringing machines
  • Meatball molders
  • Mincing machines
  • Net applicators
  • Pallet jacks
  • Paring knives
  • Personal computers
  • Poultry shears
  • Power staple guns
  • Protective ear muffs
  • Protective ear plugs
  • Rotisserie ovens
  • Sausage linkers
  • Smokehouses
  • Specific gravity fat analyzers
  • T-handle boning hooks
  • Thermal circulators
  • Trim knives
  • Vacuum package machines
  • Whizzard knives
  • Wrapping machines

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Food Science & Processing Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 1
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers 92% match
Zone 2
Butchers and Meat Cutters You are here
Zone 3
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers 78% match
Zone 4
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers 77% match
Zone 5
Animal Scientists 76% match

Resume Builder

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Related Occupations

Compare skills gap with any of these related roles.

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersClosely Related Cooks, RestaurantClosely Related Food Preparation WorkersClosely Related Slaughterers and Meat PackersClosely Related Cooks, Short OrderClosely Related Bakers Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria Chefs and Head Cooks
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Real Talk

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