Skip to content
Singulariki

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters and Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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 Metal Fabricators and Fitters Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$49,900
$45,690
Employment · BLS OEWS
53,380
34,750
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
9th pct
28th pct

At a glance

Dimension Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Median pay $49,900 $45,690
Employment 53,380 34,750
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-16.3%) About average (+6.2%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 4,100 5,500
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 · 9th pct Low · 28th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 5th pct · 11% of tasks 29th pct · 18% 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: Production and Processing, Mechanical, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Near Vision, Visualization, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Static Strength, English Language, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Selective Attention, Finger Dexterity, Trunk Strength, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Far Vision, Speech Clarity, Administration and Management, Reaction Time, Social Perceptiveness.

Specific to Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

  • Mathematics
  • Education and Training
  • Design
  • Time Sharing
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Time Management
  • Depth Perception

Specific to Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

  • Operation and Control
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Rate Control
  • Speech Recognition
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Perceptual Speed
  • Visual Color Discrimination
  • Writing

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: Electronic mail software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Word processing software , Computer aided design CAD software .

Specific to Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

    Specific to Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters or Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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 Metal Fabricators and Fitters vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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-metal-fabricators-and-fitters-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic

    APA

    Singulariki. (2026). Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic,
  title  = {Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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-metal-fabricators-and-fitters-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic}
}

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