Paper products operator

#59Declining

3/5

Key facts

−1.7%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: −1.7% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Paper products machine operators (ISCO 8143). Paper products machine operators monitor and operate machines which produce boxes, envelopes, bags and other goods from paper, paperboard, cardboard and similar materials.

Page built from official classifications (ILO, ESCO); figures cover all the jobs grouped here.

86 job titles linked to this page

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

absorbent pad machine operative
absorbent pad machine operator
absorbent pad machine specialist
absorbent pad machine technician
absorbent pad machine worker
cardboard box assembler
cardboard box constructor
cardboard box maker
cardboard machine operator
cardboard products assembly operative
cardboard products assembly operator
cardboard products assembly worker
carton machine operator
carton machine specialist
carton machine technician
corrugated box assembler
corrugated box constructor
corrugated box cutter
corrugated box maker
corrugated paper maker
corrugated paperboard maker
corrugating machine specialist
corrugating machine technician
corrugator operative
corrugator operator
corrugator specialist
corrugator technician
corrugator worker
craft board maker
diaper machine operator
diaper machine specialist
diaper machine technician
die cutting machine operator
die cutting machine specialist
die cutting machine technician
envelope machine operative
envelope machine operator
envelope machine specialist
envelope machine technician
envelope machine worker
envelope maker
envelope making machine operator
envelope making machine specialist
envelope making machine technician
envelope making machine worker
paper bag constructing machine operator
paper bag machine operator
paper bag machine specialist
paper bag machine technician
paper bag machine worker
paper bag machinist
paper bag making machine operator
paper bag manufacturing machine operator
paper cutter operative
paper cutter operator
paper cutter specialist
paper cutter technician
paper cutter worker
paper cutting machine operator
paper cutting machine specialist
paper cutting machine technician
paper cutting machinist
paper plate maker
paperboard products assembler
paperboard products assembly operative
paperboard products assembly operator
paperboard products assembly worker
paperboard products constructor
paperboard products maker
shearer operator
shearer specialist
shearer technician
tampon machine operator
tampon machine specialist
tampon machine technician
tissue paper perforating and rewinding machine operator
tissue paper perforating and rewinding machine specialist
tissue paper perforating and rewinding machine technician
tissue paper perforating and rewinding operative
tissue paper perforating and rewinding operator
tissue paper perforating and rewinding specialist
tissue paper perforating and rewinding technician
tissue paper perforating and rewinding worker
toilet paper machine operator
toilet paper machine specialist
toilet paper machine technician

What next?

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

ChangingFood production line operator
ChangingForklift operator
ChangingIndustrial maintenance technician

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

Gauges

Risk 3/5 · Moderate

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

Employment outlookDeclineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders; Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders)

Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job

PayModestBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $48,577

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
ESCO, European classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations (job titles and O*NET crosswalk)European Commission · version 1.2 · official statistics
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.