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Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters 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.”

Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$47,060
$49,900
Employment · BLS OEWS
36,290
53,380
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
23rd pct
9th pct

At a glance

Dimension Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Median pay $47,060 $49,900
Employment 36,290 53,380
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-9.0%) Declining (-16.3%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 3,200 4,100
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 · 23rd pct Low · 9th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 11th pct · 13% of tasks 5th pct · 11% 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, Near Vision, Control Precision, Administration and Management, Operations Monitoring, Visualization, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Design, Problem Sensitivity, Information Ordering, Selective Attention, Multilimb Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Category Flexibility, Finger Dexterity, Reaction Time, Trunk Strength, Far Vision, Speech Clarity, Public Safety and Security, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Static Strength, English Language.

Specific to Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

  • Operation and Control
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Perceptual Speed
  • Rate Control
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Speech Recognition
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Auditory Attention

Specific to Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical
  • Education and Training
  • Time Sharing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Time Management
  • Depth Perception

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 .

Specific to Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Specific to Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders or Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters — 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. "Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters." 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; 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/welding-soldering-and-brazing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-vs-structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/welding-soldering-and-brazing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-vs-structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-welding-soldering-and-brazing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-vs-structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters,
  title  = {Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; 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/welding-soldering-and-brazing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-vs-structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters}
}

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