Explore safer careers (5)
Lower estimated automation risk
Why it fits
Experienced makers can move into production lead and quality oversight roles.
Why it fits
Mold work, layering, forming, trimming, and curing experience are closely related.
Why it fits
Knowledge of formed materials, heat-resistant products, shaping, and repair procedures helps.
Why it fits
Clay forming, mold use, shaping, trimming, and finishing are highly related for ceramic work.
Why it fits
Defect recognition, dimensions, finish quality, and material standards transfer to inspection.
Occupation snapshot
What does this snowflake show?
What's this?
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
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.
Decision-making and problem solving
Quite importantWhy this matters
What users think
Based on 12 votes
What do you think the risk of automation is?
What is the likelihood that Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?
Pay & outlook
Wages
In 2024, the median annual wage for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic was $45,690 ($22 per hour).
The median annual wage for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic was 7.7% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.
View wage trend
Wages over time
Growth
The number of 'Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic' job openings is expected to rise 6.2% by 2034
View employment trend
Total employment, and estimated job openings
Updated projections are due 09-2025.
Volume
As of 2024 there were 34,750 people employed as 'Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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 4 thousand people are employed as 'Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic'.
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Job description
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.
O*NET-SOC code: 51-9195.00
What people are saying (1)
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