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Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Production · SOC 51-2041
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$51,330
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
6,600
Proj. Annual Openings
52,360
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-6.2%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-2041 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 57/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $51,330
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 6,600
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -16.3%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 0
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 8,001 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingSocial Perceptiveness
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
13.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI2.3%
AI ability · AIOE38%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne41%
Top Skills
1.Reading Comprehension
2.Active Listening
3.Speaking
4.Critical Thinking
5.Social Perceptiveness
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
3
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
0
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$0
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#569 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
Common titles: Fabricator, Fitter, Layout Man, Metal Fabricator, Mill Beam Fitter, Ship Fitter
Representative Tasks
- •Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- •Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
- •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.
- •Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- •Tack-weld fitted parts together.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- •Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
- •Operate welding 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.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Word · hotComputer aided design and drafting CADD softwareDassault Systemes CATIATekla softwareThree-dimensional modeling software
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-2041: 2019 — employment: 76,890, median wage: $40,390; 2020 — employment: 69,550, median wage: $41,780; 2021 — employment: 61,070, median wage: $45,480; 2022 — employment: 58,870, median wage: $47,200; 2023 — employment: 57,810, median wage: $48,480; 2025 — employment: 52,360, median wage: $51,330.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $51,330 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |