Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Also called: Coater Operator, Glue Line Operator, Machine Operator, Utility WorkerOperate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product. Processes include joining veneer sheets into plywood; gluing paper; or joining rubber and rubberized fabric parts, plastic, simulated leather, or other materials.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.3% 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, 7.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 53% 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.8.4 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 | $37,790 | $36,740 to $41,890 | 130 |
| Arizona | $41,600 | $36,750 to $44,760 | 90 |
| Arkansas | $49,770 | $46,100 to $59,630 | 310 |
| California | $40,440 | $35,950 to $54,910 | 580 |
| Colorado | $49,920 | $49,860 to $59,550 | 130 |
| Connecticut | $49,280 | $45,090 to $54,670 | 50 |
| Florida | $34,650 | $30,340 to $48,980 | 120 |
| Georgia | $46,350 | $43,170 to $47,630 | 350 |
| Idaho | $57,670 | $37,340 to $57,670 | 140 |
| Indiana | $40,380 | $37,260 to $47,800 | 690 |
| Iowa | $49,220 | $48,800 to $65,150 | 170 |
| Kansas | $47,490 | $45,480 to $57,180 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $52,140 | $43,950 to $60,490 | 110 |
| Maine | $43,960 | $38,030 to $56,900 | 50 |
| Maryland | $33,540 | $31,680 to $37,870 | 40 |
| Massachusetts | $39,250 | $36,790 to $46,380 | 130 |
| Michigan | $45,470 | $40,430 to $47,780 | 210 |
| Minnesota | $56,540 | $49,680 to $62,480 | 120 |
| Mississippi | $31,250 | $29,950 to $34,590 | 430 |
| Missouri | $38,340 | $33,260 to $59,040 | 190 |
| Nebraska | $43,230 | $38,750 to $51,600 | 50 |
| Nevada | $45,320 | $41,080 to $47,830 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $59,170 | $51,380 to $59,180 | not published |
| New York | $42,130 | $37,580 to $48,020 | 400 |
| North Carolina | $34,830 | $29,770 to $42,120 | 1,590 |
| Ohio | $49,390 | $39,730 to $56,480 | 940 |
| Oklahoma | $59,980 | $47,560 to $60,810 | 390 |
| Oregon | $50,050 | $44,080 to $54,250 | 900 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,320 | $53,320 to $54,310 | 500 |
| South Carolina | $47,000 | $37,960 to $50,040 | 130 |
| South Dakota | not published | not published | 60 |
| Tennessee | $42,830 | $38,900 to $50,850 | 260 |
| Texas | $48,450 | $37,440 to $64,070 | 790 |
| Utah | $65,500 | $41,600 to $65,500 | 100 |
| Virginia | $47,250 | $41,530 to $51,560 | 320 |
| Washington | $56,580 | $48,830 to $104,010 | 320 |
| Wisconsin | $50,290 | $48,800 to $58,230 | 350 |
Nationally: $46,460. 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 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions and report or resolve problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Start machines, and turn valves or move controls to feed, admit, apply, or transfer materials and adhesives, and to adjust temperature, pressure, and time settings. | Not published |
| Not much | Read work orders and communicate with coworkers to determine machine and equipment settings and adjustments and supply and product specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe gauges, meters, and control panels to obtain information about equipment temperatures and pressures, or the speed of feeders or conveyors. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove jammed materials from machines and readjust components as necessary to resume normal operations. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine and measure completed materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices such as tape measures, gauges, or calipers. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Maintain production records such as quantities, dimensions, and thicknesses of materials processed. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust machine components according to specifications such as widths, lengths, and thickness of materials and amounts of glue, cement, or adhesive required. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform test production runs and make adjustments as necessary to ensure that completed products meet standards and specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove and stack completed materials or products, and restock materials to be joined. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport materials, supplies, and finished products between storage and work areas, using forklifts. | Not published |
| Not much | Mount or load material such as paper, plastic, wood, or rubber in feeding mechanisms of cementing or gluing machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Align and position materials being joined to ensure accurate application of adhesive or heat sealing. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill machines with glue, cement, or adhesives. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and maintain gluing and cementing machines, using solutions, lubricants, brushes, and scrapers. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and mix ingredients to prepare glue. | 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 16 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 16 tasks fall under 17 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.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities |
Show all 17 activities
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production 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 adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders 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 1,119 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 19%
- 2 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 13%
- 3 Residential Advisors High +3.5% 12%
- 4 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 12%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 1,244 moves in
- 1 Residential Advisors High +3.5% 28%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 13%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 6%
- 4 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 5%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 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
- 10% less than high school
- 73% high school
- 17% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 23% less than high school
- 45% high school
- 16% some college
- 10% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 94 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
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
6.6% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
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
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
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
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