Foundry mold and coremakers
SOC Code: 51-4071
Foundry mold and coremakers carries a 17% AI exposure score (Low automation risk), with a median annual wage of $45,700 and -25.9% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 12,700 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 17% AI exposure, Foundry mold and coremakers sits 20 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 3% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
38/100
Foundry mold and coremakers, 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 $45,700
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -25.9%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A+ 17% 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 Foundry mold and coremakers in the Low band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) 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 Foundry mold and coremakers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Foundry mold and coremakers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
17% Among the lowest lower than 97% 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.
Foundry mold and coremakers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Foundry mold and coremakers 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
Foundry mold and coremakers's Low 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 51-4071) 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 Foundry mold and coremakers 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 Foundry mold and coremakers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Clean and smooth molds, cores, and core boxes, and repair surface imperfections.
- 2. Sift and pack sand into mold sections, core boxes, and pattern contours, using hand or pneumatic ramming tools.
- 3. Position patterns inside mold sections, and clamp sections together.
- 4. Position cores into lower sections of molds, and reassemble molds for pouring.
- 5. Tend machines that bond cope and drag together to form completed shell molds.
- 6. Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- 7. Form and assemble slab cores around patterns, and position wire in mold sections to reinforce molds, using hand tools and glue.
- 8. Move and position workpieces, such as mold sections, patterns, and bottom boards, using cranes, or signal others to move workpieces.
- 9. Rotate sweep boards around spindles to make symmetrical molds for convex impressions.
- 10. Pour molten metal into molds, manually or with crane ladles.
Key Skills Required
- Monitoring
- Operations Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Operation and Control
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Physics
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Chemistry
- Public Safety and Security
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Foundry mold and coremakers?
Foundry mold and coremakers has an AI exposure score of 17%, indicating a low 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 Foundry mold and coremakers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Foundry mold and coremakers is projected to decline by 25.9% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 12,700 workers.
What skills are needed for Foundry mold and coremakers?
Key skills for Foundry mold and coremakers include Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Foundry mold and coremakers earn?
The median annual wage for Foundry mold and coremakers is $45,700, 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 Foundry mold and coremakers?
The typical entry-level education for Foundry mold and coremakers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Foundry mold and coremakers?
Foundry mold and coremakers 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
Low 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 Foundry mold and coremakers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (17% here).
- Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters · AI exposure 17%
- Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators · AI exposure 17%
- Roofers · AI exposure 17%
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse · AI exposure 16%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-25.9% here).
- Data entry keyers · growth -25.9%
- Switchboard operators, including answering service · growth -26.3%
- Telemarketers · growth -22.1%
- Grinding and polishing workers, hand · growth -21.2%
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 43 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Foundry mold and coremakers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Foundry mold and coremakers 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).