Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Highest risk Lowest scored
Imminent Risk
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Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

Tool and Die Makers
55% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better Higher growth
25.6 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Builds on precision machining, drawings, tolerances, drilling, tooling, layout, and measurement with advanced training.

Machinists
66% automation risk | High Risk
Pays better Higher growth
14.1 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Direct machine-shop move using setup, workholding, drilling, tolerances, prints, measurement, and material knowledge.

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
62% automation risk | High Risk
Pays better Higher growth
18.7 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Machining process knowledge supports toolpath planning, setup sheets, tolerances, and CNC programming training.

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
63% automation risk | High Risk
Higher growth More jobs
17.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Reuses setup, tool offsets, dimensions, workholding, inspection, and production discipline with CNC controls.

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
61% automation risk | High Risk
Higher growth More jobs
19.5 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Transfers tooling, setup, feeds, speeds, machine safety, measurement, and blueprint interpretation.

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
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.
JOB SCORE
1.1/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

81% (Imminent Risk)

Imminent Risk (81-100%): This occupation appears highly exposed to end-to-end replacement by AI, software, robotics, or other computer-controlled systems. Roles in this range often involve predictable, repeatable, or rules-based work with limited need for human judgement, trust, creativity, or adaptation to messy real-world conditions. This does not mean every job will disappear immediately, but it is a strong signal to consider safer alternatives or start building more resilient skills.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 17 votes

69% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 81% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic was $46,630 ($22 per hour).

The median annual wage for Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic was 5.8% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic' job openings is expected to decline 19.6% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Significantly lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 5,310 people employed as 'Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 29 thousand people are employed as 'Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic'.

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Job description

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

O*NET-SOC code: 51-4032.00