Metal fabricator

#45Declining

4/5

Key facts

−6.2%jobs, 2025 to 2035

United States

This job is declining in the United States. AI exposure: very low according to the ILO, low according to the BLS. Employment change in the United States by 2035: −6.2% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Cuts, shapes and joins sheet metal to make tanks, structures and industrial parts.

42 job titles linked to this page

Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.

boat builder
boat construction worker
boat fitter
boat repair engineer
boat repairer
boatbuilder
boatfitter
bull riveter
disassembly worker
dismantling worker
metal riveter
naval engineer/shipwright
naval vessel shipwright
rebar workers
rivet bucker
rivet catcher
rivet driver
rivet machine operative
rivet machine operator
rivet passer
rivet sticker
rivet tapper
rivet thrower
rivet tosser
riveter
rivetter
rivetting apprentice
ship builder
ship construction worker
ship fitter
ship repair engineer
ship repairer
shipbuilder
shipfitter
shipwright
steel erector
steel fitters
structural iron and steel worker
structural ironworker
structural steel erector
structural steel fitters
submarine shipwright

What next?

Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.

ChangingIndustrial maintenance technician
ChangingPlumber
ChangingWind turbine technician

Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.

Gauges

Risk 4/5 · High

AI exposureLowBLS AI exposure category "low" (2026), higher than the ILO 2025 index (very low)

Employment outlookSharp declineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Structural metal fabricators and fitters)

Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job

PayModestBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $51,330

EntryQuickBLS, typical education needed for entry

No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job: this gauge stays empty. How countries are compared

Sources

AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 · official statistics
Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 · large survey
Jobs in 2030: projections by occupational family (summary table)Dares and France Stratégie · March 2022 · official statistics
Labour needs survey (BMO) 2026France Travail · 2026 · large survey
EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annexEuropean Labour Authority · June 2026 · official statistics

Checked on 27 October 2026.