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Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers and Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$47,460
$46,060
Employment · BLS OEWS
591,180
129,850
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
28th pct
44th pct

At a glance

Dimension Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay $47,460 $46,060
Employment 591,180 129,850
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (0.0%) Declining (-0.5%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 69,900 12,800
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 28th pct Moderate · 44th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 58th pct · 31% of tasks 28th pct · 18% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index Automation-leaning (49.9%) Automation-leaning (58.5%)
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Production and Processing, Quality Control Analysis, English Language, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Perceptual Speed, Critical Thinking, Problem Sensitivity, Flexibility of Closure, Mechanical, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Written Comprehension, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Deductive Reasoning, Visualization, Selective Attention, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Speech Recognition, Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Operation and Control, Inductive Reasoning, Far Vision.

Specific to Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

  • Oral Expression
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Writing
  • Time Management
  • Speech Clarity
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Coordination
  • Written Expression

Specific to Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  • Control Precision
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Multilimb Coordination
  • Reaction Time
  • Design
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Rate Control

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software , Computer aided design CAD software , Enterprise resource planning ERP software .

Specific to Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Specific to Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers or Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-multiple-machine-tool-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-multiple-machine-tool-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-multiple-machine-tool-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic,
  title  = {Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-multiple-machine-tool-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.