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Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Machinists

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and Machinists 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.”

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Machinists
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$48,310
$56,150
Employment · BLS OEWS
13,810
298,790
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
41st pct
53rd pct

At a glance

Dimension Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Machinists
Median pay $48,310 $56,150
Employment 13,810 298,790
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-14.4%) About average (0.0%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 1,100 29,500
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Moderate · 41st pct Moderate · 53rd pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 26th pct · 18% of tasks 28th pct · 18% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — Automation-leaning (38.1%)
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: Operations Monitoring, Mechanical, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Production and Processing, Mathematics, Operation and Control, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Problem Sensitivity, Multilimb Coordination, Reaction Time, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Visualization, Selective Attention, Finger Dexterity, Active Listening, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Speech Recognition, Design, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Quality Control Analysis, Flexibility of Closure, Perceptual Speed, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving.

Specific to Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  • English Language
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Trunk Strength
  • Education and Training
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Static Strength
  • Administration and Management

Specific to Machinists

  • Rate Control
  • Troubleshooting
  • Category Flexibility
  • Speech Clarity
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Equipment Maintenance

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: Computer aided design CAD software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Presentation software , Word processing software , Industrial control software , Object or component oriented development software , Analytical or scientific software , Computer aided manufacturing CAM software .

Specific to Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Specific to Machinists

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic or Machinists — 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. "Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Machinists." 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/milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic-vs-machinists

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Machinists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic-vs-machinists

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic-vs-machinists,
  title  = {Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Machinists},
  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/milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic-vs-machinists}
}

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