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Structural Iron and Steel Workers vs Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Structural Iron and Steel Workers and Layout Workers, 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.”

Structural Iron and Steel Workers Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$62,700
$61,870
Employment · BLS OEWS
64,720
5,610
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
5th pct
19th pct

At a glance

Dimension Structural Iron and Steel Workers Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
Median pay $62,700 $61,870
Employment 64,720 5,610
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.4%) Declining (-5.4%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 5,500 500
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 · 5th pct Low · 19th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 5th pct · 11% of tasks 35th pct · 21% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
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: Building and Construction, Multilimb Coordination, Visualization, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Control Precision, Trunk Strength, Problem Sensitivity, Selective Attention, Mechanical, Operations Monitoring, Finger Dexterity, Far Vision, Mathematics, Information Ordering, Oral Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Administration and Management.

Specific to Structural Iron and Steel Workers

  • Static Strength
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Depth Perception
  • Coordination
  • Operation and Control
  • Dynamic Strength
  • Rate Control

Specific to Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

  • Design
  • Production and Processing
  • Engineering and Technology
  • English Language
  • Written Comprehension
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Perceptual Speed

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: Inventory management software .

Specific to Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Specific to Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Structural Iron and Steel Workers or Layout Workers, 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. "Structural Iron and Steel Workers vs Layout Workers, 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/structural-iron-and-steel-workers-vs-layout-workers-metal-and-plastic

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Structural Iron and Steel Workers vs Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/structural-iron-and-steel-workers-vs-layout-workers-metal-and-plastic

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-structural-iron-and-steel-workers-vs-layout-workers-metal-and-plastic,
  title  = {Structural Iron and Steel Workers vs Layout Workers, 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/structural-iron-and-steel-workers-vs-layout-workers-metal-and-plastic}
}

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