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Model Makers, Wood

Production · SOC 51-7031

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$56,550
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
200
Proj. Annual Openings
280
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-16.2%/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 51-7031 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
56/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$56,550
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
200
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -4.5%.
Observed/proxy demand
FY— certified LCAs; 193 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningMonitoringCritical ThinkingOperations Analysis

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.

20.6%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI15.4%
AI ability · AIOE46.3%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne96%

AI could do ~15.4% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Reading Comprehension
2.Active Listening
3.Monitoring
4.Critical Thinking
5.Operations Analysis

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

Construct full-size and scale wooden precision models of products. Includes wood jig builders and loft workers.

Common titles: Builder, Craftsman, Jig Maker, Model Builder, Model Maker, Product Development Carpenter

Representative Tasks

  • Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
  • Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, screws, and other fasteners.
  • Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices.
  • Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
  • Plan, lay out, and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Exchange information with colleagues.
  • Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
  • Assemble wood products.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Shape surfaces or edges of wood workpieces.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotMicrosoft Word · hotDassault Systemes CATIASiemens NX

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 51-7031: 2019 — employment: 810, median wage: $59,260; 2020 — employment: 800, median wage: $64,050; 2021 — employment: 340, median wage: $60,780; 2022 — employment: 720, median wage: $46,940; 2023 — employment: 590, median wage: $45,040; 2025 — employment: 280, median wage: $56,550.

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$56,550N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A