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Print Binding and Finishing Workers
Production · SOC 51-5113
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$42,290
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
5,300
Proj. Annual Openings
33,180
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-5.2%/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 51-5113 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
- 48/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $42,290
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 5,300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -16.1%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 5,776 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionMonitoringJudgment 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.
17%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI9%
AI ability · AIOE42%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne95%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Critical Thinking
3.Reading Comprehension
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
Bind books and other publications or finish printed products by hand or machine. May set up binding and finishing machines.
Common titles: Binder Operator, Bindery Operator, Bindery Technician, Bindery Worker, Book Binder, Custom Bookbinder
Representative Tasks
- •Examine stitched, collated, bound, or unbound product samples for defects, such as imperfect bindings, ink spots, torn pages, loose pages, or loose or uncut threads.
- •Read work orders to determine instructions and specifications for machine set-up.
- •Install or adjust bindery machine devices, such as knives, guides, rollers, rounding forms, creasing rams, or clamps, to accommodate sheets, signatures, or books of specified sizes.
- •Trim edges of books to size, using cutting machines, book trimming machines, or hand cutters.
- •Stitch or glue endpapers, bindings, backings, or signatures, using sewing machines, glue machines, or glue and brushes.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Inspected printed materials or other images to verify quality.
- •Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
- •Sew clothing or other articles.
- •Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
- •Operate sewing equipment.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotEmail softwareLabel printing softwareTrade Bindery Software Bindery Estimating SystemTrade Bindery Software Bindery Management System
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 51-5113: 2019 — employment: 45,600, median wage: $33,040; 2020 — employment: 42,450, median wage: $34,260; 2021 — employment: 40,810, median wage: $36,590; 2022 — employment: 39,030, median wage: $36,970; 2023 — employment: 38,880, median wage: $38,100; 2025 — employment: 33,180, median wage: $42,290.
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 | $42,290 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |