Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders
SOC Code: 51-9196
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders carries a 32% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $49,390 and -6.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 97,500 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 32% AI exposure, Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders sits 5 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 37% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
35/100
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders, 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 $49,390
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -6.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C+ 32% 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders in the Medium 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
32% Lower than most lower than 63% 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.
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders 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
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders'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 51-9196) 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
- 2. Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
- 3. Install attachments to machines for gluing, folding, printing, or cutting.
- 4. Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters.
- 5. Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers.
- 6. Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming.
- 7. Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools.
- 8. Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.
- 9. Measure, space, and set saw blades, cutters, and perforators, according to product specifications.
- 10. Fill glue and paraffin reservoirs, and position rollers to dispense glue onto paperboard.
Key Skills Required
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Quality Control Analysis
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Time Management
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
Knowledge Areas
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders has an AI exposure score of 32%, 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders is projected to decline by 6.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 97,500 workers.
What skills are needed for Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Key skills for Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders include Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders earn?
The median annual wage for Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders is $49,390, 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders?
The typical entry-level education for Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders 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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (32% here).
- Architecture teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers · AI exposure 32%
- Bus drivers, school · AI exposure 32%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-6.3% here).
- Coil winders, tapers, and finishers · growth -6.3%
- Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks · growth -6.2%
- Advertising sales agents · growth -6.4%
- Gambling change persons and booth cashiers · growth -6.4%
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 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders 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).