AI Career Radar

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

AI exposure44 / 100Moderate exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation43
Freedom to set tasks57
Repeating the same tasks45
$47,720Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+0.7%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (below average)BLS Employment Projections
51Skill durability (fragile)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Monitoring
63
56
Speaking
63
50
Critical Thinking
63
50
Judgment and Decision Making
63
50
Active Listening
63
47
Coordination
62
50
Complex Problem Solving
62
47
Active Learning
62
41
Time Management
61
47
Reading Comprehension
61
44
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Social Perceptiveness
60
44
Writing
60
31
Learning Strategies
58
28
Instructing
58
28
Systems Analysis
57
38
Systems Evaluation
56
31
Service Orientation
56
22
Persuasion
54
25
Mathematics
53
31
Negotiation
52
19
Science
52
9
Management of Personnel Resources
50
25
Operations Analysis
49
16
Installation
48
28
Quality Control Analysis
47
53
Equipment Maintenance
47
50
Troubleshooting
47
50
Equipment Selection
47
38
Management of Material Resources
47
22
Technology Design
47
13
Management of Financial Resources
47
9
Operations Monitoring
46
72
Repairing
46
50
Programming
45
13
Operation and Control
43
69

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

82/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$53,140
10-yr growth
+36.5%
Skill gap
17%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Installation, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening

#2Wind Turbine Service TechniciansInstallation & Repair
82/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$64,120
10-yr growth
+29.5%
Skill gap
20%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Learning Strategies

#3TapersSkilled Trades
79/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$68,270
10-yr growth
-1.6%
Skill gap
1%
Retraining
Low
78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
27%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.