Careers after Forklift Operator: 20 jobs where your skills transfer.
Every related role O*NET lists for forklift operators, scored by how closely the skill profile matches, what it pays and how much extra preparation it needs. Original analysis, sources below.
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Coordination
- Equipment Maintenance
- Material Handler
- Pile Driver Operator
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
The jobs closest to a Forklift Operator's skills are Material Handler, Pile Driver Operator and Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining (93%, 93% and 93% skill match). 12 related roles pay more without needing more preparation, led by Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining (+$28,080 median).
Where your skills transfer
Data Skill match and pay change are our calculations from O*NET and BLS data (method below).
The three closest moves
Data Skills where the destination's O*NET level is at least half a point higher are listed as gaps.
Already strong: core skills overlap broadly.
To build: no skill rated half a point higher in the destination.
Already strong: Operation and Control, Coordination.
To build: Quality Control Analysis, Repairing, Operation and Control.
Already strong: Operation and Control, Coordination.
To build: Repairing, Equipment Selection, Speaking.
How to make the move
Advice
- Weeks 1 to 2Pick one destination
Material Handler is the closest match at 93%. Pile Driver Operator pays more without more preparation.
- Weeks 2 to 6Close the top gap
The closest move has no large skill gap; spend the time on proof of the shared strengths.
- Weeks 4 to 8Reframe your resume
Lead with the shared strengths, written in the destination's language.
- From week 6Talk to people in the role
Ask three material handlers what they wish they had known before switching.
How this page is built
Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared. Pay change compares the BLS national median annual wages (May 2025) of the two occupations. Preparation change compares O*NET Job Zones (Job Zones 1-2, 3, 4 and 5, from very little to extensive preparation; O*NET 31.0 combines zones 1 and 2). Destinations without BLS wage data or O*NET skill ratings are left out.
- Licensing or degree rules for a specific destination.
- Whether employers in your area hire career changers.
- Your own skills: the scores compare occupations, not people.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.