AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9031.00
Will AI replace Cutters and Trimmers, Hand?
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 18 tasks; the work is mostly hands-on, so no AI model tier applies.
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Every task, scored
The 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Cutters and Trimmers, Hand, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Separate materials or products according to size, weight, type, condition, color, or shade. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fold or shape materials before or after cutting them. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Stack cut items and load them on racks or conveyors or onto trucks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Lower table-mounted cutters such as knife blades, cutting wheels, or saws to cut items to specified sizes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Adjust guides and stops to control depths and widths of cuts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Replace or sharpen dulled cutting tools such as saws. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Count or weigh and bundle items. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean, treat, buff, or polish finished items, using grinders, brushes, chisels, and cleaning solutions and polishing materials. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Route items to provide cutouts for parts, using portable routers, grinders, and hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Transport items to work or storage areas, using carts. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 18 of 18. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
Most of this role's task work is hands-on, so no model tier applies.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 6,060
- Median annual wage
- $38,020
- Middle half of earners
- $34,050 to $47,850
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -18.1%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure20
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure26
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers 71% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
- Sewers, Hand 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure15
- Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure35
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Cutters and Trimmers, Hand and AI
Will AI replace Cutters and Trimmers, Hand?
Not on current evidence. None of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 15 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Cutters and Trimmers, Hand?
15 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 18 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Cutters and Trimmers, Hand tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes, at 15 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
No AI model tier applies, because the role's tasks are hands-on work that no model tier covers under JobRoute's published rubric.
How many people work as Cutters and Trimmers, Hand, and what do they earn?
6,060 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $38,020 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -18.1% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Cutters and Trimmers, Hand. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/cutters-and-trimmers-hand
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