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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

Mold, shape, form, cast, or carve products such as food products, figurines, tile, pipes, and candles consisting of clay, glass, plaster, concrete, stone, or combinations of materials.

Also called: Bed Laborer, Caster, Injection Molding Machine Operator, Machine Operator, Mold Mechanic, Molder

Compare with my current job (Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$55,530
$26.70/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
500
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+6.7%
180 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Long-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
$38,230$48,070$55,530$61,520$76,710

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

What you’d do

  • Read work orders or examine parts to determine parts or sections of products to be produced.
  • Trim or remove excess material, using scrapers, knives, or band saws.

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 exposure11 of 100

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

  • AIOE 10
  • Language-model AIOE 9
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 13

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

AI exposure for molders, shapers, and casters is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools might help a little with reading work orders and planning what to make. Shaping materials and trimming excess with scrapers, knives, or saws is physical, hands-on work that AI tools do not do.

Likely to change

  • Reading and sorting work orders
  • Planning which parts or sections to make

Still relies on people

  • Trimming excess material with knives and saws
  • Shaping and finishing pieces by hand

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.

  • Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

    Your hands-on shaping and trimming skills carry over to building cabinets and furniture, a role with a higher median pay of $59,120.

    Pay difference
    +$3,590 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +1.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

    Working with molds and forming materials like concrete is similar. It needs no formal credential and pays a median of $62,870.

    Pay difference
    +$7,340 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.9%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Reading work orders and specs carries over. Iron work is learned through an apprenticeship and has a high Boston median pay of $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$65,310 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    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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