Robotics workforce
Metal and plastic machine workers: 963,000 jobs, projected to fall 7%
963,000. That's how many metal and plastic machine worker jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted in 2025, and it projects that number to fall 7% by 2035, about 63,000 fewer jobs.
The BLS names laborsaving machinery as one of the most important factors. Many firms are expanding their use of CNC tools and robots, demand for most manual tool operators and tenders is likely to fall, and demand for CNC tool programmers is expected to be strong. Even reshored plants, it says, will likely bring more automation and need less labor overall.
A shrinking occupation still hires. The BLS expects about 78,100 openings a year, mostly to replace people who leave. This page traces each figure to the Handbook.
Data covers BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook; wages May 2025 and projections 2025 to 2035. Published 2026-10-16. Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Last updated 2026-10-16. Edited by Mike Ramsey / Reliable Media.
The figures and where they come from
Each figure is rated for how safely you can cite it today. Ratings judge current usability, not whether a number was ever correct.
| Figure | What it is | Source | Citation Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 963,000 jobs | Employment level (2025) | [A] | High | Setters, operators and tenders of cutting, forming and molding machines, plus related roles such as CNC tool programmers. |
| -7% | Projected employment change, 2025 to 2035 | [A] | Medium | A projection over ten years, revised each edition. |
| -63,000 jobs | Projected job change, 2025 to 2035 | [A] | Medium | The net loss over the whole decade. |
| about 78,100 | Openings projected each year | [A] | Medium | An annual average over 2025 to 2035, despite the decline. |
| $47,700 | Median annual wage (May 2025) | [A] | High | Half earned more and half less. |
| $22.94 | Median hourly wage | [A] | High | The hourly equivalent of the median. |
| under $36,020 to over $69,790 | Wage range, lowest to highest 10% | [A] | High | The bottom and top deciles in May 2025. |
| To CNC tool programmers | Where demand shifts, per BLS | [A] | High | The BLS links this to manufacturers' use of CNC tools and robots. |
| More automation, less labor | Reshored plants, per BLS | [A] | High | The Handbook's caveat on production brought back from overseas. |
Why the numbers disagree
A projected decline and steady hiring can coexist. Employment is projected to fall by about 63,000 over the decade, yet the BLS expects about 78,100 openings a year, because people retiring or changing occupations still have to be replaced.
The occupation group mixes falling and rising roles. The BLS expects demand for most manual tool operators and tenders to fall while demand for CNC tool programmers is expected to be strong. The 7% is the net of both.
Reshoring doesn't bring the old jobs back one for one. The BLS says cost changes may encourage some manufacturers to bring back production, but new US facilities will likely use more automation and require less labor overall.
How to cite these figures
Cite it as BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: 963,000 metal and plastic machine worker jobs in 2025, projected to decline 7% from 2025 to 2035.
Pair the decline with the openings figure so readers don't conclude there's no hiring: about 78,100 openings a year.
When you cite the automation reasoning, keep the BLS's split between manual operators and CNC programmers.
Where people go wrong
Saying robots will eliminate 63,000 machine operator jobs. The BLS projects a net 63,000 decline for the whole group and names several causes, including CNC adoption, foreign competition and demand for the parts these workers make.
Reading 78,100 openings a year as growth. The occupation is projected to shrink.
Assuming reshoring restores these jobs. The BLS expects new US plants to need less labor overall.
How we checked
Each figure is matched to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for metal and plastic machine workers: Quick Facts, the pay section, the job outlook text and the projections table.
Measured wages and employment rate High; the 2025 to 2035 projections rate Medium. The automation reasoning is quoted from the Handbook rather than inferred.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2025
Metal and Plastic Machine Workers, Occupational Outlook Handbook
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/metal-and-plastic-machine-workers.htm
Common questions
- Are metal and plastic machine worker jobs declining?
- Yes. The BLS projects a 7% decline from 2025 to 2035, about 63,000 fewer jobs from 963,000 in 2025.
- Why are machine operator jobs expected to decline?
- The BLS says manufacturers are adopting CNC tools and robots, which reduces demand for most manual tool operators and tenders. It also cites foreign competition and says new US plants will likely need less labor overall.
- What do metal and plastic machine workers earn?
- A median of $47,700 a year, or $22.94 an hour, in May 2025, per the BLS.
- Which machining jobs are growing?
- The BLS expects demand for CNC tool programmers to be strong even as demand for most manual operators falls.
More data, traced to source
- Machinists earn about $58,750; 288,300 jobs, slow growth ahead
Machinists earn about $58,750 a year on O*NET, roughly 288,300 strong, with slower-than-average growth of 1% to 2% projected and about 26,100 openings a year on average through 2035. The human occupation behind CNC and robot machine-tending, traced to source.
- Assemblers and fabricators: 1,799,500 jobs, just 1% growth to 2035
The BLS counts 1,799,500 assembler and fabricator jobs at a $45,450 median and projects 1% growth from 2025 to 2035. It names automation and collaborative robots among the reasons growth stays low, yet expects about 177,500 openings a year.
- Reshoring and FDI announced 244,940 US jobs in 2024
Companies announced 244,940 US manufacturing jobs in 2024 through reshoring and foreign direct investment, across 1,412 cases. These are announcements, not payroll, and the distinction is where most citations go wrong.
- Will automation wipe out factory jobs? BLS projects a 1% decline
Against the automation-apocalypse narrative, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects US production jobs to decline just 1.0% over its latest 10-year horizon, while total employment grows 4.0%. The official projection, traced to source.