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Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Production · SOC 51-9023
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$48,990
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
14,900
Proj. Annual Openings
94,920
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-4.5%/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 51-9023 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
- $48,990
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 14,900
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -6.8%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 16,323 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingMonitoring
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.
18.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI11.1%
AI ability · AIOE44.1%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne83%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Reading Comprehension
4.Critical Thinking
5.Monitoring
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
Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.
Common titles: Batchmaker, Blender, Blending Technician (Blending Tech), Ink Blender, Issuing Operator, Machine Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements.
- •Read work orders to determine production specifications or information.
- •Observe production or monitor equipment to ensure safe and efficient operation.
- •Mix or blend ingredients by starting machines and mixing for specified times.
- •Stop mixing or blending machines when specified product qualities are obtained and open valves and start pumps to transfer mixtures.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- •Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
- •Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
- •Weigh finished products.
- •Operate mixing equipment.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft Windows · hotSAP software · hotEmail softwareOperational databases
Related Occupations
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersFood Batchmakers · BrightCleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and TendersCrushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersExtruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
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 51-9023: 2019 — employment: 125,340, median wage: $37,780; 2020 — employment: 116,190, median wage: $38,690; 2021 — employment: 108,440, median wage: $38,420; 2022 — employment: 108,900, median wage: $43,410; 2023 — employment: 105,740, median wage: $46,100; 2025 — employment: 94,920, median wage: $48,990.
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 | $48,990 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |