Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

No strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Record product and processing data on specified forms.58
• Select files or other abrasives, according to materials, sizes and shapes of workpieces, amount of stock to be removed, finishes specified, and steps in finishing processes.57
• Clean brass particles from files by drawing file cards through file grooves.57

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.31

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 45 puts Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 0 of 17 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 16 augmentable, and 1 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: adopt AI deliberately on the augmentable tasks and build visible evidence of the durable ones.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $42,660median wage
• 10,510employed
• 800annual openings
• -21.2%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 49
• Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners 40
• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing 40
• Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 53
• Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 53
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 45

FAQ — Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

What does a score of 45 mean for a Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand?

It means that, weighted across the 17 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 45 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

This role has no strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.