Chemical and related
process operatives
Chemical and related process operatives operate machinery in the processing of chemical and related materials by chemical, heat or other treatment, manufacture synthetic materials and bleach, dye or otherwise treat textiles, and treat hides, skins and pelts for making into fur, leather and skin products.
- Employees (UK)
- 17k
- Median annual pay
- £33,531
- Exposure score ?
- 0.7/10 Minimal 1.6/10 Minimal strict reading, with tools is 1.6/10 with-tools reading, strict is 0.7/10
- Wage exposure
- £40m £91m
Higher exposure than 41% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means.
Most of this role's work is still hard for AI: physical presence, practised skill, judgement in context and direct care, the things that do not turn into text.
If you are in this role
Nothing here is under pressure today, but the frontier moves. Learn enough to direct AI at the paperwork around the job. People in hands-on roles who can do that become unusually useful inside their organisations.
Most of this role's work is still hard for AI: physical presence, practised skill, judgement in context and direct care, the things that do not turn into text.
If you are in this role
Nothing here is under pressure today, but the frontier moves. Learn enough to direct AI at the paperwork around the job. People in hands-on roles who can do that become unusually useful inside their organisations.
Where the work usually starts.
This role's strict reading is low because its top tasks are judgement, not drafting. The three highest-stakes tasks below are still usually where the work starts. Switch to With tools to see what AI plus the right context can take on.
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Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
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Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
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Engrave or stamp identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.
For this role the labels do not surface obvious candidates, so the work would start with the highest-stakes tasks below and find the AI angle in conversation.
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Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
-
Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
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Engrave or stamp identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.
Every role has three or four places like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days.
Every task in the role.
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can do unaided and what still needs a person. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central each task is.
Tasks via O*NET "Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic" (51-9195.00).
What AI can already do
0 of 24 tasks, unaided
No tasks here are labelled as something an LLM can do unaided. Switch to 'With tools' above to see what changes when AI is paired with the right context.
What still needs a person
24 of 24 tasks
Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
Engrave or stamp identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.
Assemble, insert, and adjust wires, tubes, cores, fittings, rods, or patterns into molds, using hand tools and depth gauges.
Clean, finish, and lubricate molds and mold parts.
Separate models or patterns from molds and examine products for accuracy.
Set the proper operating temperature for each casting.
Load or stack filled molds in ovens, dryers, or curing boxes, or on storage racks or carts.
Align and assemble parts to produce completed products, using gauges and hand tools.
Operate and adjust controls of heating equipment to melt material or to cure, dry, or bake filled molds.
Select sizes and types of molds according to instructions.
Patch broken edges or fractures, using clay or plaster.
Withdraw cores or other loose mold members after castings solidify.
Trim or remove excess material, using scrapers, knives, or band saws.
Repair mold defects, such as cracks or broken edges, using patterns, mold boxes, or hand tools.
Measure and cut products to specified dimensions, using measuring and cutting instruments.
Smooth surfaces of molds, using scraping tools or sandpaper.
Measure ingredients and mix molding, casting material, or sealing compounds to prescribed consistencies, according to formulas.
Remove excess materials and level and smooth wet mold mixtures.
Verify dimensions of products, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, vernier gauges, or protractors.
Bore holes or cut grates, risers, or pouring spouts in molds, using power tools.
Tap or tilt molds to ensure uniform distribution of materials.
Construct or form molds for use in casting clay or plaster objects, using plaster, fiberglass, rubber, casting machines, patterns, or flasks.
Pour, pack, spread, or press plaster, concrete, or other materials into or around models or molds.
Tasks via O*NET "Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic" (51-9195.00).
What AI can already do
0 of 24 tasks, with tools
Even with tools, no tasks here are labelled as something AI can do today. The work is judgment, presence, or context-heavy enough that the academic labelling sees no leverage.
What still needs a person
24 of 24 tasks
Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
Brush or spray mold surfaces with parting agents or insert paper into molds to ensure smoothness and prevent sticking or seepage.
Engrave or stamp identifying symbols, letters, or numbers on products.
Assemble, insert, and adjust wires, tubes, cores, fittings, rods, or patterns into molds, using hand tools and depth gauges.
Clean, finish, and lubricate molds and mold parts.
Separate models or patterns from molds and examine products for accuracy.
Set the proper operating temperature for each casting.
Load or stack filled molds in ovens, dryers, or curing boxes, or on storage racks or carts.
Align and assemble parts to produce completed products, using gauges and hand tools.
Operate and adjust controls of heating equipment to melt material or to cure, dry, or bake filled molds.
Select sizes and types of molds according to instructions.
Patch broken edges or fractures, using clay or plaster.
Withdraw cores or other loose mold members after castings solidify.
Trim or remove excess material, using scrapers, knives, or band saws.
Repair mold defects, such as cracks or broken edges, using patterns, mold boxes, or hand tools.
Measure and cut products to specified dimensions, using measuring and cutting instruments.
Smooth surfaces of molds, using scraping tools or sandpaper.
Measure ingredients and mix molding, casting material, or sealing compounds to prescribed consistencies, according to formulas.
Remove excess materials and level and smooth wet mold mixtures.
Verify dimensions of products, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, vernier gauges, or protractors.
Bore holes or cut grates, risers, or pouring spouts in molds, using power tools.
Tap or tilt molds to ensure uniform distribution of materials.
Construct or form molds for use in casting clay or plaster objects, using plaster, fiberglass, rubber, casting machines, patterns, or flasks.
Pour, pack, spread, or press plaster, concrete, or other materials into or around models or molds.
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Related occupations.
Other roles in Process, plant and machine operatives, and roles close by exposure.
What it means for your sector.
This role's score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 task labels, weighted by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 through ISCO-08 (the ONS coding index) and US SOC 2010 (the BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional, which covers employees only.
Back to the mapMethodologySources (PDF)Built 29 April 2026
Pictures
- "Census pantograph and 1930s keypunches" by U.S. Census Bureau employees, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Shepard Barclay, St. Louis lawyer, in his office" by Missouri Historical Society via DPLA, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Accountant's Office LCCN2016824374" by National Photo Company Collection, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Employment service in Oulu in the spring 1931" by Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons