US dataswitch to UK
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
measuring completed workpieces to verify conformance, adjusting ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, turning controls to set cutting speeds and placing workpieces on cutting tables. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: cleaning work area is work software can't reach.
What shifts is reading work orders or production schedules to determine specifications: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.
Your week, as this page understands it
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material. The job title says “cutting”, “punching”, “press machine setters”, “operators”, “tenders”, “metal” or “plastic”: officially one job, several names. The real job is the part underneath: cleaning work area. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is not one task. It is 31 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is cleaning work area, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 0%
- changing shape
- 4%
- staying human
- 96%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 4 out of 100 (3–8 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 31 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- One task scored differently between repeat runs, so its range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
- 6 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
0 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Nothing in this job’s scored task list landed in this group. That is the measurement, not an editorial choice, and it is worth knowing either way.
Changing shape
1 taskTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Reading work orders or production schedules to determine specifications
The software now makes the first pass at work orders, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (52–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Pulling materials, cut lines and tolerances out of a work order is reading a document, which software does well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
30 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Cleaning work area
This work happens in the physical world: work area, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Clean work area.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cleaning a work area is entirely physical and nothing about it can be done from a screen.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Setting up, operate or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend or straightening metal or plastic material
This work happens in the physical world: up, operate or tend machines, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Setting up and running a press to cut or bend metal is physical machine work from start to finish.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Examining completed workpieces
This work happens in the physical world: completed workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Spotting chipped edges and sorting the bad pieces means handling every part by hand at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Measuring completed workpieces to verify conformance
This work happens in the physical world: completed workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Measuring a finished part with calipers or micrometers means physically picking it up and gauging it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Starting machines, monitor their operations and recording operational data
This work happens in the physical world: machines, monitor their operations and recording operational data, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (3–17 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The data logging could be automatic, but starting and watching the press means standing at it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Loading workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions into machines
This work happens in the physical world: workpieces, plastic material or chemical solutions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Loading material into a machine is done by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Testing and adjusting machine speeds or actions
This work happens in the physical world: machine speeds, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Testing and adjusting a running machine with gauges and hand tools has to be done at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Turning controls to set cutting speeds
This work happens in the physical world: controls, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Turning the controls to set speeds and table angles is a physical act at the machine panel.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Installing align and lock specified punches, dies
This work happens in the physical world: align, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Install, align, and lock specified punches, dies, cutting blades, or other fixtures in rams or beds of machines, using gauges, templates, feelers, shims, and hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Installing and locking dies and punches into a press bed is precise physical work with hand tools.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Show the other 21 tasks
Planning sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials
staying humanThe ratings behind this row put sequences of operations well outside what today's tools can do on their own.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Working out the order of cuts from how a metal or plastic behaves is planning that AI can draft.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Cleaning and lubricating machines
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: machines, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Clean and lubricate machines.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cleaning and greasing a machine is physical maintenance with nothing for software to produce.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Positioning align and securing workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: align, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Positioning and clamping a workpiece is done by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Scribing reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: reference lines, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Scribe reference lines on workpieces as guides for cutting operations, according to blueprints, templates, sample parts, or specifications.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Scribing lines onto a workpiece from a blueprint means marking real metal, even though the drawing is digital.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Setting blade tensions, heights and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: blade tensions, heights and angles, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Setting blade tension and angle with wrenches is machine adjustment done at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Adjusting ram strokes of presses to specified lengths
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: ram strokes of presses, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Adjust ram strokes of presses to specified lengths, using hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Adjusting a press with hand tools is done at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Placing workpieces on cutting tables
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Place workpieces on cutting tables, manually or using hoists, cranes, or sledges.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Moving workpieces onto a cutting table by hand, hoist or crane is pure lifting and placing.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Positioning guides, stops, holding blocks or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: guides, stops, holding blocks or other fixtures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces, using hand tools and measuring devices.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Fitting guides and holding blocks to steer the workpiece is manual setup at the machine bed.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Turning valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: valves, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Turn valves to start flow of coolant against cutting areas or to start airflow that blows cuttings away from kerfs.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Turning a coolant or air valve is a physical action at the machine, however simple it looks.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Setting stops on machine beds
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: stops, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Set stops on machine beds, change dies, and adjust components, such as rams or power presses, when making multiple or successive passes.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Changing dies and resetting stops between passes is hands-on machine changeover work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Lubricating workpieces with oil
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · SupplementalSource: “Lubricate workpieces with oil.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Oiling workpieces is done by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Replacing defective blades or wheels
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: defective blades, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Replace defective blades or wheels, using hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Swapping a damaged blade or wheel out of a machine is a hands-on repair job.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Marking identifying data on workpieces
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: data, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Mark identifying data on workpieces.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Marking identification onto a physical part means putting a mark on metal, not producing a document.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Grinding out burrs or sharp edges
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: burrs, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Grind out burrs or sharp edges, using portable grinders, speed lathes, or polishing jacks.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Grinding burrs off an edge is manual finishing work at the part itself.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Sharpening dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels or lathes
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: dulled blades, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Sharpen dulled blades, using bench grinders, abrasive wheels, or lathes.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Sharpening blades on a grinder or lathe is physical work needing the tool and the operator together.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Removing housings, feed tubes, tool holders or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: housings, feed tubes, tool holders or other accessories, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Remove housings, feed tubes, tool holders, or other accessories to replace worn or broken parts, such as springs or bushings.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Stripping housings and tool holders off a machine to replace worn parts is mechanical work by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Honing cutters with oilstones to remove nicks
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: cutters, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Hone cutters with oilstones to remove nicks.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Honing nicks out of a cutter with an oilstone is skilled handwork at the bench.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Selecting, cleaning and installing spacers, rubber sleeves or cutters on arbors
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: spacers, rubber sleeves or cutters, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Select, clean, and install spacers, rubber sleeves, or cutters on arbors.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Selecting, cleaning and fitting cutters and spacers onto an arbor is assembly work done with hands.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Preheating workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: workpieces, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Preheat workpieces, using heating furnaces or hand torches.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Preheating a workpiece with a furnace or torch is a hands-on shop-floor step.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Operating forklifts to deliver materials
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: forklifts, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Operate forklifts to deliver materials.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Driving a forklift around a plant is physical vehicle operation, outside what office software can do.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Using equipment designed to join sheet metal
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Spot welding sheet metal is physical joining work that needs the equipment and an operator.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $46,330a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 171,200in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: work orders in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: reading work orders or production schedules to determine specifications. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where work area gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Start with what does not change: cleaning work area is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.
So, given all that: 0% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 4% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 96% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 31 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Reading work orders or production schedules to determine specifications is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.
This week: one thing
Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to work orders, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.
- What you end up holding
- a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
- How long it takes
- ten minutes
If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether work area is in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.
Over the next 90 days
Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near reading work orders or production schedules to determine specifications. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.
Over the next 12 months
On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic: only about 16% of its durable work is work you already do and there are far fewer of those jobs than of yours. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 4/100 here, with only 0% of the task list in the top band, and “clean work area” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour because one of your tasks is on their list in the same words: “clean work area”. Across the whole of both lists that adds up to about 16% of the work in that job the software is not taking.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 16% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. And it is a narrow door: about 16,710 of those jobs against 171,200 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 10% as many seats.
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already position guides, stops, holding blocks, or other fixtures to secure and direct workpieces…, and their equivalent is to position and secure workpieces on machines, using holding devices, measuring instruments, hand tools…. Across both published task lists that is about 13% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 13% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. And it is a narrow door: about 12,460 of those jobs against 171,200 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 7% as many seats.
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates…, and their equivalent is to examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using…. Across both published task lists that is about 11% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 11% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 0% of its task weight, across 31 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like cleaning work area arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Plastics process operatives is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
The other groups this work is counted across:
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Plastics process operatives, Metal machining setters and setter-operators and Metal working machine operatives. Pay is shown separately for each of those groups (medians cannot be averaged together), while the task list and the scores on this page are for this group only.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
Free
Why there is no community here
Collab365, who build this site, run paid Spaces for a small number of subjects, and none of them is built for this job. We are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
So the free services listed on this page are the whole answer, and it is the same answer we would give a friend.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for cutting / punching / press machine setters / operators / tenders / metal / plastic launches. Nothing else.
That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.
We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.
No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 31 official task statements scored for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (United States, SOC 51-4031), 0% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 4 out of 100 (range 3–8, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances” (56/100, partial); “Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials” (38/100, low); “Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data” (10/100, minimal). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” stay human?
- About 96% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders” (0/100, minimal); “Operate forklifts to deliver materials” (0/100, minimal); “Clean work area” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 0% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 96% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 31 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
About the data on this page
- One task scored differently between repeat runs, so its range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- 6 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.