Career Explorer Production
Human edge, growing
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators
Laminate layers of fiberglass on molds to form boat decks and hulls, bodies for golf carts, automobiles, or other products.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 86% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +4.6% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $46,880
- Job growth to 2035
- +4.6%
- Openings a year
- 1,700
- People doing it (2025)
- 16,300
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Prepare mixtures or solutions
- Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
- Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing
- Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment
- Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment
What the work looks like
- Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers.
- Spray chopped fiberglass, resins, and catalysts onto prepared molds or dies using pneumatic spray guns with chopper attachments.
- Apply layers of plastic resin to mold surfaces prior to placement of fiberglass mats, repeating layers until products have the desired thicknesses and plastics have jelled.
- Mix catalysts into resins, and saturate cloth and mats with mixtures, using brushes.
- Check completed products for conformance to specifications and for defects by measuring with rulers or micrometers, by checking them visually, or by tapping them to detect bubbles or dead spots.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Semiconductor processing techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 87, +8.2%
- Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tilesHuman edge, growing, Index 92, +9.0%
- Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plasticHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +5.8%
- Packaging and filling machine operators and tendersHuman edge, growing, Index 91, +4.1%
Also known as: Boat Builder, Chopper Gun Operator, Fiberglass Laminator, Laminator, Boat Carpenter, Fiberglass Technician, Fiberglasser, Gel-Coater.
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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.