Compare Occupations

SUMMARY
78%
High Risk
41%
Moderate Risk
53%
Moderate Risk
66%
High Risk
69%
High Risk
61%
High Risk
JOB SCORE 2.5/10 6.4/10 4.0/10 3.5/10 1.8/10 2.8/10
POLLING
There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet
36%
(Low Risk, Based on 66 votes)
38%
(Low Risk, Based on 94 votes)
54%
(Moderate Risk, Based on 203 votes)
79%
(High Risk, Based on 17 votes)
65%
(High Risk, Based on 27 votes)
GROWTH
by year 2034
-4.7%
16.1%
-2.8%
0.0%
-2.3%
-0.5%
WAGES
$48,940
or $23.53 per hour
$63,760
or $30.65 per hour
$60,500
or $29.08 per hour
$56,150
or $26.99 per hour
$55,770
or $26.81 per hour
$46,060
or $22.14 per hour
VOLUME
as of 2024
5,830
421,940
56,540
298,790
20,330
129,850
SNOWFLAKE [?] The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes. Snowflake diagram for Pourers and Casters, Metal Snowflake diagram for Industrial Machinery Mechanics Snowflake diagram for Maintenance Workers, Machinery Snowflake diagram for Machinists Snowflake diagram for Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders Snowflake diagram for Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
DESCRIPTION Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots. Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans. Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance. Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures. Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel. Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.

Compare Occupations Side by Side

Curious how automation and AI could affect your career? Our comparison tool lets you view two or more jobs side by side, helping you quickly spot differences in risk level, pay, growth, and popularity. All of this is based on a mix of academic research, user polling, and official labour data.

Automation Risk

Each occupation shows a probability of automation. A higher score means machines and algorithms are more likely to take over the role in the future.

Job Score

A quick summary of how a job performs overall — factoring in wages, growth, volume, and automation risk. It’s a handy way to see the bigger picture at a glance.

Polling Data

Thousands of visitors cast their votes on how “automatable” each job feels. These community insights are shown alongside the calculated probabilities.

Growth & Wages

See how fast each occupation is projected to grow and what people earn on average. High wages don’t always mean high security — automation risk still matters.

Volume of Workers

Explore how many people currently work in each occupation and in which year the data was recorded. Popularity can affect how disruptive automation will be for the wider economy.

The Snowflake Diagram

Each snowflake visualises the balance between automation risk, wages, growth, and job volume. Bigger and greener areas mean stronger performance in that dimension.

Use this comparison page to research careers, guide students, or simply explore the future of work. All data is regularly updated to keep the results relevant.