Career Explorer Production
Human edge, steady
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
Cut, shape, and assemble wooden articles or set up and operate a variety of woodworking machines, such as power saws, jointers, and mortisers to surface, cut, or shape lumber or to fabricate parts for wood products.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 59% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by -2.9% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $46,680
- Job growth to 2035
- -2.9%
- Openings a year
- 6,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 81,800
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Assemble products or work aids
- Cut materials
- Operate cutting or grinding equipment
What the work looks like
- Verify dimensions or check the quality or fit of pieces to ensure adherence to specifications.
- Design furniture, using computer-aided drawing programs.
- Produce or assemble components of articles, such as store fixtures, office equipment, cabinets, or high-grade furniture.
- Program computers to operate machinery.
- Trim, sand, or scrape surfaces or joints to prepare articles for finishing.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plasticHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +5.8%
- Etchers and engraversHuman edge, steady, Index 60, -0.7%
- UpholsterersHuman edge, steady, Index 63, -2.3%
- Furniture finishersHuman edge, steady, Index 65, -3.5%
Also known as: Cabinet Assembler, Cabinet Builder, Cabinetmaker, Frame Builder, Angled Cabinetmaker, Assembler, Cabinet Door Maker, Cabinet Installer.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.