Foundry Mold and Coremakers
Also called: Core Machine Operator, Core Maker, Coremaker, MolderMake or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 23.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,040 | $46,980 to $54,800 | 850 |
| Arkansas | $42,200 | $39,120 to $45,090 | 60 |
| California | $46,930 | $41,100 to $55,370 | 420 |
| Colorado | $42,240 | $40,280 to $48,440 | 40 |
| Connecticut | $47,310 | $39,430 to $65,090 | 110 |
| Florida | $38,330 | $36,390 to $44,370 | 140 |
| Georgia | $46,220 | $44,940 to $58,860 | 220 |
| Illinois | $57,110 | $48,820 to $57,110 | 390 |
| Indiana | $49,860 | $44,970 to $55,750 | 720 |
| Iowa | $49,060 | $43,250 to $54,920 | 480 |
| Kansas | $47,910 | $38,740 to $47,910 | 150 |
| Kentucky | $43,610 | $39,970 to $47,680 | not published |
| Massachusetts | $55,940 | $47,480 to $71,190 | 60 |
| Michigan | $46,150 | $41,010 to $59,540 | 2,050 |
| Minnesota | $56,840 | $51,220 to $71,940 | 470 |
| Mississippi | $39,560 | $39,560 to $43,950 | 70 |
| Missouri | $61,480 | $60,540 to $61,480 | 590 |
| Nebraska | $45,910 | $40,860 to $48,920 | 90 |
| New Hampshire | $43,210 | $38,650 to $49,660 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $55,210 | $49,610 to $55,210 | 330 |
| New York | $54,380 | $45,180 to $58,970 | 110 |
| North Carolina | $46,910 | $37,110 to $57,350 | 260 |
| Ohio | $49,040 | $42,630 to $60,130 | 980 |
| Oklahoma | $43,550 | $36,720 to $44,060 | 120 |
| Oregon | $67,060 | $52,590 to $67,940 | 270 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,750 | $41,870 to $48,610 | 1,230 |
| South Carolina | $41,100 | $37,460 to $46,090 | 150 |
| Tennessee | $37,310 | $35,430 to $42,150 | 190 |
| Texas | $42,190 | $37,760 to $46,920 | 230 |
| Utah | $44,970 | $35,220 to $53,420 | 110 |
| Virginia | $43,130 | $40,090 to $66,840 | 110 |
| Washington | $48,440 | $43,400 to $58,280 | 160 |
| Wisconsin | $44,130 | $36,010 to $48,400 | 1,270 |
Nationally: $48,110. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Clean and smooth molds, cores, and core boxes, and repair surface imperfections. | Not published |
| Not much | Move and position workpieces, such as mold sections, patterns, and bottom boards, using cranes, or signal others to move workpieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Sift and pack sand into mold sections, core boxes, and pattern contours, using hand or pneumatic ramming tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds. | Not published |
| Not much | Position patterns inside mold sections, and clamp sections together. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| Not much | Position cores into lower sections of molds, and reassemble molds for pouring. | Not published |
| Not much | Lift upper mold sections from lower sections, and remove molded patterns. | Not published |
| Not much | Form and assemble slab cores around patterns, and position wire in mold sections to reinforce molds, using hand tools and glue. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate ovens or furnaces to bake cores or to melt, skim, and flux metal. | Not published |
| Not much | Tend machines that bond cope and drag together to form completed shell molds. | Not published |
| Not much | Pour molten metal into molds, manually or with crane ladles. | Not published |
| Not much | Rotate sweep boards around spindles to make symmetrical molds for convex impressions. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 13 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 13 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Signal others to coordinate work activities |
Show all 10 activities
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for foundry mold and coremakers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 854 moves out
- 1 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 8%
- 2 Stockers and Order Fillers Moderate +8.9% 7%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 5%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 944 moves in
- 1 Stockers and Order Fillers Moderate +8.9% 13%
- 2 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 10%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 5%
- 4 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 36% less than high school
- 64% high school
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 25 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 21% some college
- 8% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers” · 3,391 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
1 program: Ironworking/Ironworker.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
19.4% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (COREMAKER; Job Molder; MOLDER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Foundry Mold and Coremakers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-4071.00