Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-4199.00
All metal workers and plastic workers not listed separately.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.17–0.18· 3 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 7221Blacksmiths, Hammersmiths and Forging Press Workers0.17
- ISCO-08 7223Metal Working Machine Tool Setters and Operators0.18
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators0.17
AI exposure (OpenAI rubric)
The OpenAI rubric has no rated tasks for this occupation code.
Tasks
The O*NET® 31.0 Database lists no task statements for this occupation.
"What work can robots do?" (Anthropic) has no robot exposure value for this occupation. This does not mean 0.
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 16K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 15K
- Change (2025–35)
- -7.1%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $45,950
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85109 | 그 외 금속 공작 기계 조작원 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 7221Blacksmiths, Hammersmiths and Forging Press Workers
- ISCO-08 7223Metal Working Machine Tool Setters and Operators
- ISCO-08 8142Plastic Products Machine Operators
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- chain making machine operatorESCO 7223.3This occupation is broader
Chain making machine operators tend and operate the proper equipment and machinery for the creation of metal chains, including precious metal chains such as for jewellery, and produce these in all steps of the production process. They feed the wire into the chainmaking machine, use pliers to hook the ends of the chain formed by the machine together and finish and trim the edges by soldering them to a smooth surface.
- metal furniture machine operatorESCO 8219.7This occupation is broader
Metal furniture machine operators use machines and power tools to cut, shape and join metal pieces in order to produce metal furniture ranging from office furnishings to outdoors fittings. They use different types of metal such as aluminium, iron and stainless steel, and different types of processes such as metal forming and casting. They polish, apply protective layers and, in some cases, decorative finishes to the metal pieces. They assemble and join the elements to obtain the final product.
- scrap metal operativeESCO 7223.18This occupation is broader
Scrap metal operative cut big sheets of metal scrap in order to prepare them for being used in a smelter.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources