Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders

Lowest scored
High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (2)

Lower estimated automation risk

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

Experienced furnace operators can coordinate shifts, safety, production targets, training, and quality checks.

Industrial Machinery Mechanics
41% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better Higher growth
27.7 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Furnace and plant equipment troubleshooting supports maintenance work with mechanical and electrical training.

Alternative careers

Related career paths that build on similar skills and experience

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
74% automation risk | High Risk
Higher growth More jobs
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Why it fits

Reuses material specifications, visual defects, samples, weights, documentation, and quality-control routines.

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
71% automation risk | High Risk
View career
Why it fits

Reuses furnaces, temperatures, metals, cycles, safety, records, and process-control discipline.

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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
1.8/10
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

69% (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.

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

Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
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

79% 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 69% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders 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 Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders was $55,770 ($27 per hour).

The median annual wage for Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders was 12.7% higher 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 'Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders' job openings is expected to decline 2.3% 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

Lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 20,330 people employed as 'Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders' within the United States.

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

Put another way, around 1 in 7 thousand people are employed as 'Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders'.

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What people are saying (1)

Murdadog (Highly likely)
17 Sep 2020 01:07
They don't have a union, no sick days, no vacation days, they don't burn themselves, no insurance needed = no humans needed.
Leave a reply about this occupation
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Job description

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.

O*NET-SOC code: 51-4051.00