Skip to content
AI Job Stats

Toolmakers and related workers

Not exposedExposure gradient (ILO 2025)

In the ILO's assessment few of the job's tasks can be done by generative AI, or the scores are too spread out to reach gradient 1 — generative AI does not meaningfully take over the core of the work.

Exposure is not job loss: it shows how much of the work generative AI could do today. Whether that turns into transformation, productivity gains or cuts depends on employers, regulation — and on you.

Exposure score
20/ 100 · ±10
050100
Average of all occupations: 30

0 = today’s generative AI cannot perform any of the job’s tasks, 100 = it could do all of them fully. The pale band is the spread across tasks.

Work out your own score ↓
Change since 2023
−1
2023 classification
Not affected

What can you do?

The AI analysis for this occupation is still being prepared — the background process covers a few occupations every day.

Task by task

The ILO scored every task of the occupation separately, as the average of two AI models (GPT-4o and Gemini). The pale band is the range between the two models' scores, the dot the ILO's final score (for a few tasks expert review placed it outside the band).

  • Preparing templates and sketches, and determining work processes42
  • Reading and interpreting engineering drawings and specifications of tools, dies, prototypes or models35
  • Visualizing and computing dimensions, sizes, shapes and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications27
  • Verifying dimensions, alignments and clearances of finished parts for conformity with specifications, using precision measuring instruments and testing completed items for proper operation.26
  • Setting up, operating and maintaining conventional and computer numerically controlled machine tools to cut, turn, mill, plane, drill, bore, grind or otherwise shape work pieces to prescribed dimensions and finish15
  • Making, fitting, assembling, repairing and installing lock parts and locks15
  • Making and repairing metal patterns for preparation of foundry moulds15
  • Fitting and assembling parts to make and repair jigs, fixtures and gauges14
  • Positioning, securing and measuring metal stock or castings to lay out for machining14
  • Laying out lines and reference points on metal stock to guide other workers who cut, turn, mill, grind or otherwise shape metal12
  • Repairing and modifying sports guns and other small arms11

How much does it affect you?

Every job is different: mark which of these tasks you do and how much, and we'll compute your own, time-weighted score.

For each task: I don't do it · sometimes · most of my job.

  • Preparing templates and sketches, and determining work processes(42)
  • Reading and interpreting engineering drawings and specifications of tools, dies, prototypes or models(35)
  • Visualizing and computing dimensions, sizes, shapes and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications(27)
  • Verifying dimensions, alignments and clearances of finished parts for conformity with specifications, using precision measuring instruments and testing completed items for proper operation.(26)
  • Setting up, operating and maintaining conventional and computer numerically controlled machine tools to cut, turn, mill, plane, drill, bore, grind or otherwise shape work pieces to prescribed dimensions and finish(15)
  • Making, fitting, assembling, repairing and installing lock parts and locks(15)
  • Making and repairing metal patterns for preparation of foundry moulds(15)
  • Fitting and assembling parts to make and repair jigs, fixtures and gauges(14)
  • Positioning, securing and measuring metal stock or castings to lay out for machining(14)
  • Laying out lines and reference points on metal stock to guide other workers who cut, turn, mill, grind or otherwise shape metal(12)
  • Repairing and modifying sports guns and other small arms(11)
Your estimated exposure score
20/ 100

You are exactly at the occupation average. (The occupation's score: 20.)

About 0% of your working time goes to highly exposed tasks (score ≥ 50).

Most affected
  • • Preparing templates and sketches, and determining work processes
  • • Reading and interpreting engineering drawings and specifications of tools, dies, prototypes or models
Most likely to stay human
  • • Repairing and modifying sports guns and other small arms
  • • Laying out lines and reference points on metal stock to guide other workers who cut, turn, mill, grind or otherwise shape metal

An estimate from the ILO task scores. Everything is computed in your browser — nothing is sent or stored.

How many people work in this occupational group?

Share of the Metal, machinery and related trades workers group in total employment, by country (Eurostat, ISCO 2-digit — 4-digit breakdowns are not public by country).

Metal, machinery and related trades workers
Table view
CountryMetal, machinery and related trades workers
Czechia6.0% · 315 thousand · 2025
Romania5.4% · 415 thousand · 2025
Slovenia5.1% · 50 thousand · 2025
Hungary4.7% · 219 thousand · 2025
Germany4.7% · 1,972 thousand · 2025
Croatia4.6% · 78 thousand · 2025
Estonia4.5% · 31 thousand · 2025
Slovakia4.5% · 116 thousand · 2025
Poland4.1% · 706 thousand · 2025
Lithuania3.9% · 57 thousand · 2025
Austria3.8% · 172 thousand · 2025
Italy3.8% · 919 thousand · 2025
Bulgaria3.6% · 106 thousand · 2025
Latvia3.4% · 30 thousand · 2025
Portugal3.4% · 177 thousand · 2025
Finland3.3% · 85 thousand · 2025
France2.9% · 845 thousand · 2025
Spain2.8% · 621 thousand · 2025
Switzerland2.7% · 132 thousand · 2025
Sweden2.7% · 141 thousand · 2025
Iceland2.6% · 6 thousand · 2025
Belgium2.4% · 121 thousand · 2025
Ireland2.2% · 63 thousand · 2025
Norway2.2% · 65 thousand · 2025
Denmark2.2% · 68 thousand · 2025
Greece2.2% · 95 thousand · 2025
Malta2.1% · 7 thousand · 2025
Netherlands1.8% · 173 thousand · 2025
Cyprus1.7% · 9 thousand · 2025
United Kingdom1.6% · 547 thousand · 2025
7.59 m
Metal, machinery and related trades workers — EU27
Eurostat · 2025
3.7%
of all employed (EU27)

What do they earn?

Mean gross monthly earnings in the major occupational group (Craft and related trades workers). Eurostat's earnings survey only publishes pay by occupation at 1 digit, so this is the job's broader group. Enterprises with 10+ employees, 2022.

€2,364
EU average (gross/month)
−18% compared with the average of all occupations

By country, at purchasing power parity (PPS/month), so countries with different price levels can be compared.

  1. Switzerland4,098
  2. Iceland3,826
  3. Denmark3,666
  4. Norway3,260
  5. Belgium2,979
  6. Germany2,859
  7. Luxembourg2,760
  8. Sweden2,733
  9. Netherlands2,717
  10. Austria2,715
  11. Finland2,711
  12. EU272,364
  13. Italy2,314
  14. Ireland2,200
  15. Spain2,124
  16. France2,122
  17. Malta2,032
  18. Slovenia2,012
  19. Lithuania2,008
  20. Greece1,799
  21. Estonia1,795
  22. Poland1,787
  23. Czechia1,781
  24. Cyprus1,751
  25. Romania1,734
  26. Hungary1,684
  27. Latvia1,680
  28. Slovakia1,672
  29. Croatia1,505
  30. Portugal1,285
  31. Bulgaria1,217

Source: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey (earn_ses22_21), every four years. The United Kingdom is not covered by the survey.

Outlook to 2035

Employment in the Metal, machinery and related trades workers group according to Cedefop's 2026 forecast.

50607071201520192023202720312035

thousand · Cedefop Skills Forecast 2026 · 2026–2035: projection

+10.3%
Change 2025→2035
+7 k
Expansion
21 k
Replacement demand
28 k
Total expected openings

Replacement demand is the jobs left by people retiring or changing careers — even a shrinking occupation can have many openings.

Related occupations

Sources: ILO WP140 (2025) · Eurostat lfsa_egai2d · Cedefop Skills Forecast 2026 · WEF Future of Jobs 2025 · ESCO. The exposure score measures how much of an occupation's tasks generative AI could perform — not whether the job disappears. For information only, not career advice. How do we calculate this?