Career Explorer Production
Human edge, steady
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 45% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by -1.7% 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)
- $48,540
- Job growth to 2035
- -1.7%
- Openings a year
- 2,300
- People doing it (2025)
- 26,600
- 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
- Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
- Maintain tools or equipment
- Operate cutting or grinding equipment
What the work looks like
- Observe operation of equipment to ensure continuity of flow, safety, and efficient operation, and to detect malfunctions.
- Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
- Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps and conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes.
- Move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment that crushes, grinds, polishes, or blends materials.
- Notify supervisors of needed repairs.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as machines are becoming capable of more functionalities and are more integrated with each other allowing workers to produce more.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plasticHuman edge, steady, Index 60, +0.7%
- Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tendersHuman edge, steady, Index 73, +2.6%
- Food cooking machine operators and tendersHuman edge, steady, Index 51, -0.3%
- Adhesive bonding machine operators and tendersHuman edge, steady, Index 73, +1.3%
Also known as: Grinder, Machine Operator, Miller, Preparation Operator (Prep Operator), Beveler Operator, Cullet Trucker, Grinder Operator, Machine Tender.
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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.