Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
SOC Code: 51-7041
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood carries a 45% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $39,950 and -0.6% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 45,000 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 45% AI exposure, Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood sits 8 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 79% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
21/100
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood, 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 $39,950
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -0.6%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 45% 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 Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
45% Higher than most higher than 79% 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.
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 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
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood's High 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 in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
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 51-7041) 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 Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 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 Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules.
- 2. Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons.
- 3. Mount and bolt sawing blades or attachments to machine shafts.
- 4. Adjust bolts, clamps, stops, guides, or table angles or heights, using hand tools.
- 5. Set up, operate, or tend saws or machines that cut or trim wood to specified dimensions, such as circular saws, band saws, multiple-blade sawing machines, scroll saws, ripsaws, or crozer machines.
- 6. Examine logs or lumber to plan the best cuts.
- 7. Inspect stock for imperfections or to estimate grades or qualities of stock or workpieces.
- 8. Trim lumber to straighten rough edges or remove defects, using circular saws.
- 9. Monitor sawing machines, adjusting speed and tension and clearing jams to ensure proper operation.
- 10. Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
Key Skills Required
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Troubleshooting
- Quality Control Analysis
- Active Listening
- Equipment Maintenance
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Time Management
Knowledge Areas
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Building and Construction
- Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood has an AI exposure score of 45%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood is projected to decline by 0.6% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 45,000 workers.
What skills are needed for Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?
Key skills for Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood include Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood earn?
The median annual wage for Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood is $39,950, 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 Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?
The typical entry-level education for Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 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 Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 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
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (45% here).
- Advertising sales agents · AI exposure 45%
- Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys · AI exposure 45%
- Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment · AI exposure 45%
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers · AI exposure 45%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-0.6% here).
- Gambling dealers · growth -0.6%
- Gambling service workers, all other · growth -0.6%
- Proofreaders and copy markers · growth -0.6%
- Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers · growth -0.7%
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 19 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood's numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 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).