Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
How to read this profile
BLS projects U.S. employment for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders to increase by 2.5% between 2024 and 2034, from 164,800 to 168,900 jobs. Its estimate of 15,300 annual openings includes replacement needs, so it does not represent current vacancies, contract postings, or freelance demand. The wage ($48,250), education (High school diploma or equivalent), and related experience (None) figures on this profile describe typical U.S. employees. O*NET skills describe the occupation; they do not assess an individual worker's proficiency.
Base employment (2024)
164,800
Projected employment (2034)
168,900
Projected change (2024–2034)
3%
Annual openings (projected average)
15,300
Pay & Preparation
$48,250
High school diploma or equivalent
None
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Essential Skills
Operations Monitoring (3.62/5) • Operation and Control (3.12/5) • Monitoring (3.12/5) • Quality Control Analysis (3.12/5) • Equipment Maintenance (3/5) • Repairing (3/5)
O*NET describes occupational requirements; these ratings do not measure current job-posting frequency or an individual worker’s proficiency.
BLS projections are long-term estimates; annual openings include growth and replacement needs and are not current vacancies.
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