← All 785 jobsFile 51-9022
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 19.2% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #623 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -19.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $42,660 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 10,800 in the US, with about 700 openings a year
The work, 19 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: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment13%
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: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,462 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Cut materials6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position workpieces or materials on equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate cutting or grinding equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Mark materials or objects for identification5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 222 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Remove workpieces from production equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Shape materials to create products3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Apply protective solutions or coatings1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas1%
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 81 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 700 openings a year as people retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 57% of the workCutters and Trimmers, Hand5% AI does, against 5% here-18.9% by 2035 · $38,020 · No formal credential
- Shares 55% of the workSawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood5% AI does, against 5% here-1% by 2035 · $42,770 · High school diploma
- Shares 49% of the workMultiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic9% AI does, against 5% here+0.6% by 2035 · $47,180 · 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 0.08, higher than 27% 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, 51-9022 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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