Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (3)

Lower estimated automation risk

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
38% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
27.1 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Experienced cutters can coordinate line workers, sanitation, safety, throughput, and quality.

Agricultural Inspectors
40% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better
24.9 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Fits workers moving toward food-product inspection, sanitation rules, and quality compliance.

Food Science Technicians
52% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better
13.5 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Uses food safety, samples, quality records, and production knowledge with lab training.


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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
3.1/10
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

65% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

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.

Assisting and caring for others

Quite important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
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

What users think

Based on 32 votes

65% 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 65% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers was $37,700 ($18 per hour).

The median annual wage for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers was 23.8% 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

Fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers' job openings is expected to rise 5.5% 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

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 141,090 people employed as 'Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.09% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers'.

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What people are saying (1)

David R. (No chance)
06 Dec 2022 22:06
Determining fat, silver skin, bone skin is literally impossible for robots to determine within my lifetime.

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Job description

Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

O*NET-SOC code: 51-3022.00