AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-4121.00

Will AI replace Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 30 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals. 20 Estimated Standard 4.1
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits. 15 Estimated No tier 4.6
Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces. 15 Estimated No tier 3.4
Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears. 15 Estimated No tier 3.3

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 frontier-tier model or lower covers 12% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 12% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 88% 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
416,210
Median annual wage
$53,750
Middle half of earners
$46,790 to $63,010
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+2.2%

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers and AI

Will AI replace Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?

Not on current evidence. None of the 30 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 17 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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?

17 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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers tasks can AI already do?

None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information, at 50 out of 100.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 12% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 88% 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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, and what do they earn?

416,210 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $53,750 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.2% 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: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. 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/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers

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