Structural metal fabricators and fitters
SOC Code: 51-2041
Structural metal fabricators and fitters carries a 16% AI exposure score (Low automation risk), with a median annual wage of $49,900 and -16.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 53,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 16% AI exposure, Structural metal fabricators and fitters sits 21 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
43/100
Structural metal fabricators and fitters, 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 $49,900
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -16.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A+ 16% 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Structural metal fabricators and fitters sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
16% 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.
Structural metal fabricators and fitters vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Structural metal fabricators and fitters 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
Structural metal fabricators and fitters'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 51-2041) 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- 2. Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
- 3. Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
- 4. Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- 5. Tack-weld fitted parts together.
- 6. Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.
- 7. Set up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components.
- 8. Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone.
- 9. Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting.
- 10. Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Operations Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Time Management
- Coordination
- Operation and Control
Knowledge Areas
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Design
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- Engineering and Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Structural metal fabricators and fitters?
Structural metal fabricators and fitters has an AI exposure score of 16%, 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Structural metal fabricators and fitters is projected to decline by 16.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 53,800 workers.
What skills are needed for Structural metal fabricators and fitters?
Key skills for Structural metal fabricators and fitters include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Structural metal fabricators and fitters earn?
The median annual wage for Structural metal fabricators and fitters is $49,900, 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters?
The typical entry-level education for Structural metal fabricators and fitters 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters?
Structural metal fabricators and fitters 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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (16% here).
- Agricultural equipment operators · AI exposure 16%
- Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers · AI exposure 16%
- Cement masons and concrete finishers · AI exposure 15%
- Construction laborers · AI exposure 15%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-16.3% here).
- Print binding and finishing workers · growth -16.1%
- Payroll and timekeeping clerks · growth -16.7%
- File clerks · growth -15.9%
- Order clerks · growth -17.2%
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 Structural metal fabricators and fitters' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Structural metal fabricators and fitters 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).