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Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Production · SOC 51-9195
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$46,170
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
5,300
Proj. Annual Openings
33,190
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-4.9%/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 51-9195 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
- $46,170
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 5,300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +6.2%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 5,027 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperations MonitoringOperation and ControlQuality Control AnalysisMonitoring
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.
14.2%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI7.1%
AI ability · AIOE35.4%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne90%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operations Monitoring
3.Operation and Control
4.Quality Control Analysis
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
Mold, shape, form, cast, or carve products such as food products, figurines, tile, pipes, and candles consisting of clay, glass, plaster, concrete, stone, or combinations of materials.
Common titles: Bed Laborer, Caster, Injection Molding Machine Operator, Machine Operator, Mold Mechanic, Molder
Representative Tasks
- •Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
- •Trim or remove excess material, using scrapers, knives, or band saws.
- •Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
- •Engrave or stamp identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.
- •Assemble, insert, and adjust wires, tubes, cores, fittings, rods, or patterns into molds, using hand tools and depth gauges.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
- •Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds.
- •Engrave designs, text, or other markings onto materials, workpieces, or products.
- •Build production molds.
- •Apply lubricants or coolants to workpieces.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft Word · hotMastercam computer-aided design and manufacturing software
Related Occupations
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 51-9195: 2019 — employment: 44,890, median wage: $34,030; 2020 — employment: 41,660, median wage: $35,440; 2021 — employment: 38,420, median wage: $37,500; 2022 — employment: 39,060, median wage: $39,590; 2023 — employment: 38,480, median wage: $43,310; 2025 — employment: 33,190, median wage: $46,170.
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 | $46,170 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |