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Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
Production · SOC 51-9022
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$42,660
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
2,600
Proj. Annual Openings
10,510
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-15.6%/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 51-9022 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
- 44/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $42,660
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,600
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -21.2%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,502 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Quality Control AnalysisOperations MonitoringOperation and ControlEquipment MaintenanceRepairing
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.
13.3%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI3.6%
AI ability · AIOE36.3%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne97%
Top Skills
1.Quality Control Analysis
2.Operations Monitoring
3.Operation and Control
4.Equipment Maintenance
5.Repairing
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
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.
Common titles: Buffer, Casting Finisher, Chipper, Finisher, Grinder, Jewelry Polisher
Representative Tasks
- •Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.
- •Grind, sand, clean, or polish objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing, using hand tools and power tools.
- •Measure and mark equipment, objects, or parts to ensure grinding and polishing standards are met.
- •Trim, scrape, or deburr objects or parts, using chisels, scrapers, and other hand tools and equipment.
- •Mark defects, such as knotholes, cracks, and splits, for repair.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Compare physical characteristics of materials or products to specifications or standards.
- •Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- •Clean workpieces or finished products.
- •Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
- •Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Word · hot
Related Occupations
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticTool Grinders, Filers, and SharpenersWoodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingCutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersMolders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic · Bright
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 51-9022: 2019 — employment: 29,170, median wage: $30,600; 2020 — employment: 24,050, median wage: $31,750; 2021 — employment: 15,680, median wage: $35,670; 2022 — employment: 14,190, median wage: $36,960; 2023 — employment: 12,290, median wage: $38,940; 2025 — employment: 10,510, median wage: $42,660.
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 | $42,660 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |