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Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Production · SOC 51-7042
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$43,380
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
11,100
Proj. Annual Openings
61,420
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-4.1%/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 51-7042 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
- 52/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $43,380
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 11,100
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -1.8%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 0
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 11,973 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlQuality Control AnalysisMonitoringSpeaking
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.
14.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI6.5%
AI ability · AIOE36.7%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne97%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Quality Control Analysis
4.Monitoring
5.Speaking
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.
2
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
0
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$0
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#611 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Set up, operate, or tend woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, and wood nailing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment.
Common titles: Boring Machine Operator, Cabinet Maker, Knot Saw Operator, Lathe Operator, Machine Operator, Molder Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines.
- •Examine finished workpieces for smoothness, shape, angle, depth-of-cut, or conformity to specifications and verify dimensions, visually and using hands, rules, calipers, templates, or gauges.
- •Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly.
- •Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.
- •Examine raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Operate woodworking equipment.
- •Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- •Conduct test runs of production equipment.
- •Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
- •Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
Tools & Technologies
Adobe Creative Cloud software · hotAdobe Illustrator · hotAdobe Photoshop · hotApple macOS · hotAutodesk AutoCAD · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Windows · hotComputer aided design and drafting CADD softwareDassault Systemes CATIAVero Software ALPHACAM
Related Occupations
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodCutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersGrinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticMilling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
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 51-7042: 2019 — employment: 78,850, median wage: $30,990; 2020 — employment: 75,160, median wage: $32,160; 2021 — employment: 67,210, median wage: $36,090; 2022 — employment: 63,680, median wage: $36,830; 2023 — employment: 61,250, median wage: $38,260; 2025 — employment: 61,420, median wage: $43,380.
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 | $43,380 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |