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 →Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Occupation · SOC 51-9123.00
Paint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.
Also called: Decorator · Glazer · Painter · Pottery Decorator · Decaler · Glass Decorator · In Mold Coater · Silk-Screen Operator · Spray Painter · Sprayer · Air Brush Decorator · Air Brush Operator
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-51-9123-00/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.
- About average employment outlook (+1.4% by 2034)
- 800 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $40,860/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (82nd); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (13th)
13th-percentile task overlap — yet about 800 openings a year (+1.4% 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 | 19th | -1.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 3rd | 0.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 25th | 0.1 |
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.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
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 0.9 · 82nd percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.4% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 8,800 → 8,900 |
“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.
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers sits at the 29th 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.
18% mean task exposure (2025)
29th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−6 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Sign Writers, Decorative Painters, Engravers and Etchers · 7316 | 18% | 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 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Apply coatings, such as paint, ink, or lacquer, to protect or decorate workpiece surfaces, using spray guns, pens, or brushes. Core · importance 4.7
- Examine finished surfaces of workpieces to verify conformance to specifications and retouch any defective areas. Core · importance 4.5
- Select and mix ingredients to prepare coating substances according to specifications, using paddles or mechanical mixers. Supplemental · importance 4.4
- Place coated workpieces in ovens or dryers for specified times to dry or harden finishes. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Clean and maintain tools and equipment, using solvents, brushes, and rags. Core · importance 4.1
- Read job orders and inspect workpieces to determine work procedures and materials required. Core · importance 4.1
- Clean surfaces of workpieces in preparation for coating, using cleaning fluids, solvents, brushes, scrapers, steam, sandpaper, or cloth. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Conceal blemishes in workpieces, such as nicks and dents, using fillers such as putty. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Rinse, drain, or wipe coated workpieces to remove excess coating material or to facilitate setting of finish coats on workpieces. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Cut out sections in surfaces of materials to be inlaid with decorative pieces, using patterns and knives or scissors. Supplemental
- Immerse workpieces into coating materials for specified times. Supplemental
- Melt or heat coating materials to specified temperatures. Supplemental
- Position and glue decorative pieces in cutout sections of workpieces, following patterns. Supplemental
Work activities
- Apply protective or decorative finishes to workpieces or products.
- Inspect finishes of workpieces or finished products.
- Operate painting or coating equipment.
- Clean production equipment.
- Maintain production or processing equipment.
- Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
- Clean workpieces or finished products.
- Load items into ovens or furnaces.
- Select production input materials.
- Mix ingredients to create specific finishes.
- Fill cracks, imperfections, or holes in products or workpieces.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.5 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.4 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.0 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 2.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 2.9 | |
| Speech Clarity | 2.9 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.8 | |
| Speech Recognition | 2.8 | |
| Control Precision | 2.6 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.6 | |
| Category Flexibility | 2.5 | |
| Selective Attention | 2.5 | |
| Trunk Strength | 2.5 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.4 | |
| Originality | 2.3 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.3 |
Knowledge
| Production and Processing | 3.1 | |
| English Language | 3.0 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.8 | |
| Education and Training | 2.5 | |
| Design | 2.4 | |
| Chemistry | 2.4 | |
| Administration and Management | 2.3 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 2.9 | |
| Monitoring | 2.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.8 | |
| Speaking | 2.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 2.8 | |
| Writing | 2.3 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Coordination | 2.9 | |
| Time Management | 2.6 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.5 | |
| Service Orientation | 2.4 |
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
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Illustrator | Graphics or photo imaging software | Hot technology |
| Adobe Photoshop | Graphics or photo imaging software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Adobe FreeHand MX | Graphics or photo imaging software | |
| Corel WordPerfect Office Suite | Office suite software |
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
- No formal educational credential · 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.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Less than a High School Diploma | 59.0% | |
| High School Diploma | 21.2% | |
| Some College Courses | 17.0% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 2.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.9 | |
| Artistic | 3.4 | |
| Conventional | 3.4 | |
| Social | 1.6 | |
| Investigative | 1.3 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 4.0 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 3.5 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 3.5 | |
| Visual Arts | 3.3 | |
| Engineering | 1.4 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 1.4 | |
| Performing Arts | 1.4 | |
| Culinary Art | 1.3 | |
| Marketing/Advertising | 1.2 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.1 | |
| Dependability | 1.8 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $28,490 |
| 25th percentile | $34,540 |
| Median (50th) | $40,860 |
| 75th percentile | $50,700 |
| 90th percentile | $62,770 |
| People employed | 8,470 |
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 | 5,740 | $39,440 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 750 | $45,380 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 370 | $47,050 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 330 | $44,930 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 270 | $37,140 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 240 | $36,930 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 210 | $36,380 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 110 | $47,900 |
| Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing · National industry | 80 | $35,100 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 80 | $34,250 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 30 | $34,490 |
| Construction · Sector | — | $53,620 |
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 | 8.19× | 5,740 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 7.71× | 110 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.44× | 210 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 1.36× | 330 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 1.27× | 750 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.81× | 270 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.48× | 240 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 0.43× | 370 |
Related occupations
Part of the Construction career cluster.
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9124.00 Compare →
- Etchers and Engravers · 51-9194.00 Compare →
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance · 47-2141.00 Compare →
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic · 51-9195.00 Compare →
- Furniture Finishers · 51-7021.00 Compare →
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand · 51-9022.00 Compare →
- Cutters and Trimmers, Hand · 51-9031.00 Compare →
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers · 51-6011.00 Compare →
- Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-6042.00 Compare →
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers · 51-4071.00 Compare →
- Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4193.00 Compare →
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-9191.00 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 Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers — 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.
- No formal educational credential · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 29th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers show 13th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 800 annual U.S. openings
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers rank in the 13th 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 800 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 about average (+1.4%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $40,860, across about 8,470 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers show 13th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 800 annual U.S. openings • Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers rank in the 13th 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 800 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 about average (+1.4%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $40,860, across about 8,470 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9123-00 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. "Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers." 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-51-9123-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9123-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-9123-00,
title = {Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers},
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-51-9123-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.