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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators

Work as part of a team having responsibility for assembling an entire product or component of a product. Team assemblers can perform all tasks conducted by the team in the assembly process and rotate through all or most of them, rather than being assigned to a specific task on a permanent basis. May participate in making management decisions affecting the work. Includes team leaders who work as part of the team.

Also called: Assembler, Assembly Associate, Assembly Line Machine Operator, Assembly Line Worker, Assembly Operator, Assembly Technician

Median pay in Greater Boston
$47,860
$23.01/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
9,900
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+2.0%
1,280 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$38,270$42,850$47,860$54,450$62,420

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Perform quality checks on products and parts.
  • Review work orders and blueprints to ensure work is performed according to specifications.
  • Rotate through all the tasks required in a particular production process.
  • Determine work assignments and procedures.
  • Supervise assemblers and train employees on job procedures.
  • Shovel, sweep, or otherwise clean work areas.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure22 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 23
  • Language-model AIOE 23
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 21

Observed AI use today: Not published (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower. AI tools could help with reviewing work orders and blueprints, tracking quality checks, and planning work assignments. They do not do the hands-on assembly or the day-to-day work of leading and training a team.

Likely to change

  • Reviewing work orders and blueprints
  • Recording and tracking quality checks

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on assembly across several stations
  • Training and supervising team members

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Knowing how products and parts fit together helps you repair machinery. It offers higher pay and the fastest projected growth in this list.

    Pay difference
    +$27,340 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +17.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent
  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    Hands-on skills and attention to detail carry over to general maintenance. This work involves inspecting and testing equipment, with higher pay.

    Pay difference
    +$11,810 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent
  • Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

    Quality checks and working to blueprint specifications carry over to welding, which offers a higher Boston median pay of $63,770.

    Pay difference
    +$15,910 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +4.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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