Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Occupation · SOC 51-2041.00
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
Also called: Fabricator · Fitter · Layout Man · Ship Fitter · Metal Fabricator · Mill Beam Fitter · Small Parts Fabricator · Steel Fabricator · Structural Planner · Structural Steel Fitter · Component Fabricator · Ground Support Equipment Assembler
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-2041-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-16.3% by 2034)
- 4,100 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $49,900/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
6th-percentile task overlap — yet about 4,100 openings a year (-16.3% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 15th | -1.1 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 7th | 0.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 9th | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.0), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.4 · 44th percentile among occupations · Moderate
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -16.3% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 4,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 53,800 → 45,000 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters sits at the 5th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
11% mean task exposure (2025)
5th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Structural Metal Preparers and Erectors · 7214 | 11% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 23 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes. Core · importance 4.5
- Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences. Core · importance 4.4
- Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools. Core · importance 4.4
- Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met. Core · importance 4.3
- Tack-weld fitted parts together. Core · importance 4.2
- Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes. Core · importance 4.2
- Set up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components. Core · importance 4.1
- Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone. Core · importance 4.1
- Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting. Core · importance 4.1
- Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes. Core · importance 4.0
- Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures. Core · importance 4.0
- Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers. Core · importance 3.9
- Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal. Core · importance 3.9
- Design and construct templates and fixtures, using hand tools. Core · importance 3.8
- Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications. Core · importance 3.7
- Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches. Core · importance 3.6
- Heat-treat parts, using acetylene torches. Core · importance 3.5
- Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers. Core · importance 3.5
- Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves. Core · importance 3.5
- Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies. Core · importance 3.5
- Preheat workpieces to make them malleable, using hand torches or furnaces. Core · importance 3.5
- Install boilers, containers, and other structures. Supplemental · importance 2.7
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Troubleshoot and repair electrical or mechanical equipment.
Work activities
- Operate welding equipment.
- Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
- Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
- Lay out parts to prepare for assembly.
- Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
- Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
- Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
- Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
- Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment.
- Operate grinding equipment.
- Operate cutting equipment.
- Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools.
- Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
- Design templates or patterns.
- Construct patterns, templates, or other work aids.
- Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
- Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
- Direct operational or production activities.
- Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.
- Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems.
- Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Mathematics | 3.4 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.3 | |
| Mechanical | 3.3 | |
| English Language | 3.0 | |
| Administration and Management | 2.9 | |
| Education and Training | 2.8 | |
| Design | 2.8 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.7 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.6 |
Abilities
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.3 | |
| Near Vision | 3.3 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Control Precision | 3.1 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.0 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 2.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 2.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Far Vision | 2.9 | |
| Speech Clarity | 2.9 | |
| Time Sharing | 2.8 | |
| Reaction Time | 2.8 | |
| Depth Perception | 2.6 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 2.9 |
Transferable skills
| Operations Monitoring | 2.9 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.6 | |
| Time Management | 2.6 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Precision Production . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 76.7% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 18.0% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 3.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 2.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 3.9 | |
| Investigative | 2.6 | |
| Artistic | 1.7 |
Interest areas
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.5 | |
| Dependability | 2.4 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $37,370 |
| 25th percentile | $44,290 |
| Median (50th) | $49,900 |
| 75th percentile | $59,810 |
| 90th percentile | $70,510 |
| People employed | 53,380 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 42,900 | $49,920 |
| Construction · Sector | 4,380 | $50,890 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 3,030 | $46,590 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 2,520 | $46,590 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 1,050 | $50,820 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 670 | $55,910 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 650 | $52,050 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 540 | $54,820 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 330 | $54,640 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 320 | $48,630 |
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 200 | $57,680 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 140 | $47,380 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 9.71× | 42,900 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 7.23× | 650 |
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 3.76× | 200 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 2.75× | 2,520 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 1.73× | 140 |
| Construction · Sector | 1.56× | 4,380 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.97× | 3,030 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 0.73× | 320 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · 51-2011.00 Compare →
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic · 51-4192.00 Compare →
- Sheet Metal Workers · 47-2211.00 Compare →
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers · 47-2221.00 Compare →
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-4122.00 Compare →
- Tool and Die Makers · 51-4111.00 Compare →
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · 51-4121.00 Compare →
- Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers · 47-2171.00 Compare →
- Millwrights · 49-9044.00 Compare →
- Boilermakers · 47-2011.00 Compare →
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers · 51-2031.00 Compare →
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic · 51-9195.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Precision Production · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 5th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters show 6th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 4,100 annual U.S. openings
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters rank in the 6th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 4,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-16.3%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $49,900, across about 53,380 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters show 6th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 4,100 annual U.S. openings • Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters rank in the 6th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 4,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-16.3%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $49,900, across about 53,380 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-2041-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "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/roles/role-51-2041-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-2041-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-2041-00,
title = {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/roles/role-51-2041-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.