AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9198.00
Will AI replace Helpers--Production Workers?
Helpers--Production Workers: AI can already handle 1 of 30 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
Have a team in this role?
Get your free 10-role sample: send this role and up to nine others, and a founder sends a board-pack PDF within two business days.
Every task, scored
The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Helpers--Production Workers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examine products to verify conformance to quality standards. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Transfer finished products, raw materials, tools, or equipment between storage and work areas of plants and warehouses, by hand or using hand trucks or powered lift trucks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Place products in equipment or on work surfaces for further processing, inspecting, or wrapping. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform minor repairs to machines, such as replacing damaged or worn parts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Count finished products to determine if product orders are complete. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate machinery used in the production process, or assist machine operators. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Measure amounts of products, lengths of extruded articles, or weights of filled containers to ensure conformance to specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Separate products according to weight, grade, size, or composition of materials used to produce them. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mark or tag identification on parts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Turn valves to regulate flow of liquids or air, to reverse machines, to start pumps, or to regulate equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Start machines or equipment to begin production processes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mix ingredients according to specified procedures or formulas. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Observe equipment operations so that malfunctions can be detected, and notify operators of any malfunctions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove products, machine attachments, or waste material from machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record information, such as the number of products tested, meter readings, or dates and times of product production. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Read gauges or charts, and record data obtained. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Unclamp and hoist full reels from braiding, winding, or other fabricating machines, using power hoists. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Signal coworkers to direct them to move products during the production process. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean and lubricate equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Pack and store materials and products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Prepare raw materials for processing. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Help production workers by performing duties of lesser skill, such as supplying or holding materials or tools, or cleaning work areas and equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Attach slings, ropes, or cables to objects such as pipes, hoses, or bundles. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Position spouts or chutes of storage bins so that containers can be filled. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Wash work areas, machines, equipment, vehicles, or products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Break up defective products for reprocessing. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut or break flashing from materials or products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Load and unload items from machines, conveyors, and conveyances. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Tie products in bundles for further processing or shipment, following prescribed procedures. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Lift raw materials, finished products, and packed items, manually or using hoists. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 30 of 30. 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
A standard-tier model or lower covers 14% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 14% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 86% is hands-on.
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
- 165,700
- Median annual wage
- $39,070
- Middle half of earners
- $35,220 to $45,990
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -8.9%
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.
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure23
- Helpers--Extraction Workers 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure14
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure18
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure16
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Helpers--Production Workers and AI
Will AI replace Helpers--Production Workers?
AI already handles 1 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 18 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. BLS projects employment to change by -8.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Helpers--Production Workers?
18 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 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 30 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Helpers--Production Workers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Examine products to verify conformance to quality standards. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 14% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 86% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Helpers--Production Workers, and what do they earn?
165,700 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $39,070 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -8.9% 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: Helpers--Production Workers. 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/helpers-production-workers
Have a team in this role?
Get your free 10-role sample. Send this role and up to nine others, with no employee data, and a founder sends a PDF in board-pack format within two business days.
A founder replies within one business day.