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Declining

Construction

Spray painter

#93Declining
4/5

Key facts

−2.2%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: −2.2% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Spray painters and varnishers (ISCO 7132). Spray painters and varnishers operate spray painting and varnishing equipment to apply protective coatings to manufactured items or structures.

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

59 job titles linked to this page

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

  • aircraft painter
  • anti- corrosion surface treatment operative
  • anti- corrosion surface treatment operator
  • anti- corrosion surface treatment worker
  • anti-corrosion paint technician
  • automatic paint booth operative
  • automatic paint booth operator
  • automatic paint sprayer operative
  • automatic paint sprayer operator
  • automotive paint sprayer
  • automotive paint technician
  • automotive painter
  • automotive refinisher
  • car painter
  • car refinisher
  • lacquer coating machine operator
  • lacquer coating machine specialist
  • lacquer coating machine technician
  • lacquer paint sprayer
  • lacquer spray gun operative
  • lacquer spray gun operator
  • lacquer spray gun specialist
  • lacquer spray gun technician
  • lacquer spray machine operator
  • lacquer spray machine specialist
  • lacquer spray machine technician
  • lacquer spray painter
  • lacquer sprayer
  • lacquer spraying machine operator
  • lacquer spraying machine specialist
  • lacquer spraying machine technician
  • lacquer-sprayer
  • machine sprayer
  • machine sprayer operative
  • machine sprayer operator
  • marine vessel painter
  • mastic sprayer
  • motor vehicle painter
  • motor vehicle refinisher
  • paint booth operator
  • paint booth technician
  • railway carriage painter
  • ship painter
  • spray gun operator
  • surface coatings technician
  • surface treatment operative
  • surface treatment operator
  • surface treatment technician
  • surface treatment worker
  • transport equipment painter
  • truck painter
  • truck refinisher
  • van painter
  • van refinisher
  • vehicle body painter
  • vehicle paint sprayer
  • vehicle paint technician
  • vehicle painter
  • vessel painter

What next?

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

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 (Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders; Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic; Painters, construction and maintenance)
Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job
PayModestBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $46,764
EntryQuickBLS, typical education needed for entry

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

Sources

Checked on 27 October 2026.