← All 785 jobsFile 51-9051
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 2.6% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #559 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2.6% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $48,040 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 14,500 in the US, with about 1,800 openings a year
The work, 16 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance11%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems10%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Remove workpieces from production equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Determine resource needs of projects or operations5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,590 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 103 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,800 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 50% of the workCleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 7% here+3.4% by 2035 · $43,530 · High school diploma
- Shares 50% of the workCooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 7% here+5.9% by 2035 · $41,330 · High school diploma
- Shares 44% of the workPackaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 7% here+4.1% by 2035 · $43,220 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.12, higher than 41% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 51-9051 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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