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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

Lay out reference points and dimensions on metal or plastic stock or workpieces, such as sheets, plates, tubes, structural shapes, castings, or machine parts, for further processing. Includes shipfitters.

Also called: Development Mechanic, Layout Fabricator, Layout Fitter, Layout Inspector, Layout Man, Layout Mechanic

Median pay in Greater Boston
$64,010
$30.77/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
40
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−5.7%
10 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
$42,240$47,090$64,010$71,680$88,940

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

What you’d do

  • Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto workpieces, using scribes, soapstones, punches, and hand drills.
  • Plan locations and sequences of cutting, drilling, bending, rolling, punching, and welding operations, using compasses, protractors, dividers, and rules.
  • Fit and align fabricated parts to be welded or assembled.
  • Locate center lines and verify template positions, using measuring instruments such as gauge blocks, height gauges, and dial indicators.
  • Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry, design, effects of heat, and properties of metals.
  • Lay out and fabricate metal structural parts such as plates, bulkheads, and frames.

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 exposure26 of 100

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

  • AIOE 26
  • Language-model AIOE 20
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 32

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools might help with planning layouts and doing the math from blueprints. Marking metal, fitting and aligning parts, and checking positions with gauges are hands-on work that AI tools do not do. Projected job numbers in Massachusetts are shrinking.

Likely to change

  • Planning layouts from blueprints and templates
  • Calculating dimensions and cutting sequences

Still relies on people

  • Marking workpieces by hand with scribes
  • Fitting and aligning parts for welding

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.

  • Machinists

    Your skill with measuring tools, dimensions, and blueprints carries over to machining parts to exact specifications, with higher pay and some growth.

    Pay difference
    +$8,050 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Blueprint reading and checking alignment carry over directly. This apprenticeship offers much higher pay and projected job growth.

    Pay difference
    +$56,830 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Carpenters

    Measuring and marking materials from plans carry over to carpentry. It is an apprenticeship with higher pay and projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$11,200 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.3%
    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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