# Metal Workers and Plastic Workers

> SOC minor group 51-4000 within Production Occupations — 24 detailed occupations.

- **SOC minor group:** 51-4000
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/occupation-groups/metal-workers-and-plastic-workers
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap, not jobs lost. Figures below are aggregates over the group's member occupations, each traced to a named public dataset.

## Scale & pay

- **Employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** 1,599,750.
- **Median wage:** $48,465.
- **Projected growth (BLS 2024–34):** -3.6%.
- **Annual openings:** 153.9.

## AI exposure

- **AI task-overlap (mean across member occupations):** 9th percentile (Low) — Eloundou GPT-overlap + Felten AIOE; task overlap, not automation.

## Member occupations

- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4121-00) — $51,000; 0th percentile overlap
- Machinists (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4041-00) — $56,150; 0th percentile overlap
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4031-00) — $45,590; 0th percentile overlap
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4072-00) — $41,230; 0th percentile overlap
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4081-00) — $46,060; 0th percentile overlap
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4033-00) — $45,190; 0th percentile overlap
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4021-00) — $46,980; 0th percentile overlap
- Tool and Die Makers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4111-00) — $63,180; 0th percentile overlap
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4122-00) — $47,060; 0th percentile overlap
- Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4193-00) — $41,600; 0th percentile overlap
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4023-00) — $48,630; 0th percentile overlap
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4051-00) — $55,770; 0th percentile overlap
- Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4199-00) — $42,750
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4034-00) — $48,620; 0th percentile overlap
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4191-00) — $47,450; 0th percentile overlap
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4035-00) — $48,310; 0th percentile overlap
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4071-00) — $45,700; 0th percentile overlap
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4022-00) — $49,240; 0th percentile overlap
- Pourers and Casters, Metal (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4052-00) — $48,940; 0th percentile overlap
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-4194-00) — $48,970; 0th percentile overlap

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T20:31:11.516731+00:00. https://singulariki.com/occupation-groups/metal-workers-and-plastic-workers_