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Etchers and Engravers
Production · SOC 51-9194
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$43,310
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
1,300
Proj. Annual Openings
7,750
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-4.6%/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 51-9194 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
- $43,310
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 1,300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -0.7%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 1,411 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Reading ComprehensionMonitoringOperations MonitoringActive ListeningSpeaking
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.
20.7%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI13.6%
AI ability · AIOE48.4%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne98%
Top Skills
1.Reading Comprehension
2.Monitoring
3.Operations Monitoring
4.Active Listening
5.Speaking
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
Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.
Common titles: Acid Etch Operator, Award Machine Operator, Chemical Engraver, Electronic Engraver, Engraver, Etcher
Representative Tasks
- •Inspect etched work for depth of etching, uniformity, and defects, using calibrated microscopes, gauges, fingers, or magnifying lenses.
- •Examine sketches, diagrams, samples, blueprints, or photographs to decide how designs are to be etched, cut, or engraved onto workpieces.
- •Clean and polish engraved areas.
- •Prepare workpieces for etching or engraving by cutting, sanding, cleaning, polishing, or treating them with wax, acid resist, lime, etching powder, or light-sensitive enamel.
- •Engrave and print patterns, designs, etchings, trademarks, or lettering onto flat or curved surfaces of a wide variety of metal, glass, plastic, or paper items, using hand tools or hand-held power tools.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Inspect finishes of workpieces or finished products.
- •Apply protective or decorative finishes to workpieces or products.
- •Engrave designs, text, or other markings onto materials, workpieces, or products.
- •Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
- •Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Office software · hotAdobe Illustrator · hotMicrosoft Windows · hotComputer aided design and computer aided manufacturing CAD/CAM engraving softwareCorel CorelDraw Graphics SuiteDelcam ArtCAM ExpressGravograph GravoStyleWestern Engravers Supply Vision EXPERT
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 51-9194: 2019 — employment: 10,310, median wage: $30,620; 2020 — employment: 9,490, median wage: $31,790; 2021 — employment: 7,110, median wage: $36,590; 2022 — employment: 8,400, median wage: $37,980; 2023 — employment: 8,140, median wage: $40,040; 2025 — employment: 7,750, median wage: $43,310.
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 | $43,310 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |