Cutters and trimmers, hand
SOC Code: 51-9031
Cutters and trimmers, hand carries a 30% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $38,800 and -18.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 7,000 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 30% AI exposure, Cutters and trimmers, hand sits 7 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 30% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
26/100
Cutters and trimmers, hand, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $38,800
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -18.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B 30% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Cutters and trimmers, hand in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is No credential (109/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Cutters and trimmers, hand sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Cutters and trimmers, hand sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
30% Lower than most lower than 70% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Cutters and trimmers, hand is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Cutters and trimmers, hand's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 51-9031) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Cutters and trimmers, hand be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Cutters and trimmers, hand. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
- 2. Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
- 3. Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
- 4. Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
- 5. Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
- 6. Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
- 7. Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products.
- 8. Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines.
- 9. Separate materials or products according to size, weight, type, condition, color, or shade.
- 10. Fold or shape materials before or after cutting them.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Psychology
- Design
- Sociology and Anthropology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Cutters and trimmers, hand?
Cutters and trimmers, hand has an AI exposure score of 30%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Cutters and trimmers, hand?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Cutters and trimmers, hand is projected to decline by 18.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 7,000 workers.
What skills are needed for Cutters and trimmers, hand?
Key skills for Cutters and trimmers, hand include Active Listening, Speaking, Time Management, and others. Typical entry-level education is No formal educational credential.
How much do Cutters and trimmers, hand earn?
The median annual wage for Cutters and trimmers, hand is $38,800, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Cutters and trimmers, hand?
The typical entry-level education for Cutters and trimmers, hand is No formal educational credential. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Cutters and trimmers, hand?
Cutters and trimmers, hand roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Cutters and trimmers, hand: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (30% here).
- Actors · AI exposure 30%
- Aircraft service attendants · AI exposure 30%
- Butchers and meat cutters · AI exposure 30%
- Calibration technologists and technicians · AI exposure 30%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-18.1% here).
- Order clerks · growth -17.2%
- Payroll and timekeeping clerks · growth -16.7%
- Structural metal fabricators and fitters · growth -16.3%
- Print binding and finishing workers · growth -16.1%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 81 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Cutters and trimmers, hand's numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Cutters and trimmers, hand side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).