Skip to main content
FG
FutureGrid
Back to Careers

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Production · SOC 51-3022

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$38,300
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
20,800
Proj. Annual Openings
145,700
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-0.9%/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 51-3022 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
43/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$38,300
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
20,800
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +5.5%.
Observed/proxy demand
FY— certified LCAs; 21,782 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Active ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingMonitoringJudgment and Decision Making

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.

12.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI0%
AI ability · AIOE37.3%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne94%

Top Skills

1.Active Listening
2.Speaking
3.Critical Thinking
4.Monitoring
5.Judgment and Decision Making

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

Common titles: Beef Trimmer, Breast Trimmer, Chicken Cutter, Deboner, Fish Processor, Meat Cutter

Representative Tasks

  • Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
  • Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
  • Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
  • Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
  • Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Cut meat products.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
  • Inspect food products.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotWeb browser softwareMeat inventory softwareSales 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


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-3022: 2019 — employment: 153,990, median wage: $28,100; 2020 — employment: 147,760, median wage: $30,190; 2021 — employment: 132,100, median wage: $29,730; 2022 — employment: 133,460, median wage: $35,070; 2023 — employment: 138,300, median wage: $36,300; 2025 — employment: 145,700, median wage: $38,300.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%0.7%
OutlookAverage4% Bright
Median Salary$38,300N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A