AI exposure: 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.
Reading this score
computedAt 17.1% of weighted task load, Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic sits at the 28th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 76.4% of what this role does is untouched, meaning current systems cannot produce that work at all, whatever the commercial incentive.
What holds the line here is embodiment. Across this occupation's 14 tasks it averages 2.29 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work has to happen in physical space. A language model cannot move matter. Until the robotics to do this work is both good enough and cheap enough to deploy widely, capability in software does not reach it.
The most exposed thing this job does is Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry,..., at 60.0%. The least is Apply pigment to layout surfaces, at 0.0%. A gap of 60.0% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within production occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 107 roles in the group is 16.1%, and only 46 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 14 tasks, 4 are currently banded exposed, 0 assisted and 10 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take robotics cheap and reliable enough to deploy at scale, not a better language model. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 0.89 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 2.29 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.07 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.46 | 0-3 |
| Context | 0.79 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.14 | 0-3 |
Task by task
14 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry, design, effects of heat, and properties of metals. | 60.0% | 15.0% | 25.0% | 4.25 | exposed |
| Plan locations and sequences of cutting, drilling, bending, rolling, punching, and welding operations, using compasses, protractors, dividers, and rules. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.40 | exposed |
| Design and prepare templates of wood, paper, or metal. | 36.7% | 13.3% | 50.0% | 3.83 | exposed |
| Add dimensional details to blueprints or drawings made by other workers. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.01 | exposed |
| Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly. | 27.5% | 10.0% | 62.5% | 4.18 | untouched |
| Inspect machined parts to verify conformance to specifications. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 4.05 | untouched |
| Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto workpieces, using scribes, soapstones, punches, and hand drills. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.44 | untouched |
| Fit and align fabricated parts to be welded or assembled. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.38 | untouched |
| Locate center lines and verify template positions, using measuring instruments such as gauge blocks, height gauges, and dial indicators. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.34 | untouched |
| Lay out and fabricate metal structural parts such as plates, bulkheads, and frames. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.23 | untouched |
| Lift and position workpieces in relation to surface plates, manually or with hoists, and using parallel blocks and angle plates. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.06 | untouched |
| Install doors, hatches, brackets, and clips. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.19 | untouched |
| Brace parts in position within hulls or ships for riveting or welding. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.09 | untouched |
| Apply pigment to layout surfaces, using paint brushes. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 2.87 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.
What this means in practice
Most of this work is not reachable by current systems, so the immediate pressure is on the administrative edges of the role rather than its core: the scheduling, the reporting, the written records. That is where time is recovered.