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An internet presentation of the Occupational Outlook Handbook plus related career guidance information

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 | All Occupations

The section of the ocouha website contains the text of the 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook. This information is no longer being updated. For more recent information, start at the ocouha homepage www.ocouha.com.

Other production occupations

  • Dental laboratory technicians
    • Employment should increase slowly, as the public’s improving dental health requires fewer dentures but more bridges and crowns.
    • Dental laboratory technicians need artistic aptitude for detailed and precise work, a high degree of manual dexterity, and good vision.
  • Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
    • Seven out of 10 worked in manufacturing establishments.
    • For workers who perform relatively simple tests of products, a high school diploma is sufficient; experienced production workers fill more complex inspecting positions.
    • Employment is expected to grow more slowly than average, reflecting the growth of automated inspection and the redistribution of quality-control responsibilities from inspectors to other production workers.
  • Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers
    • About one-fourth of all jewelers were self-employed.
    • Jewelers usually learn their trade in vocational or technical schools, through distance-learning centers, or on the job.
    • Prospects for new jewelers should be excellent; many employers have difficulty finding and retaining workers with the right skills to replace those who retire or who leave the occupation for other reasons.
  • Ophthalmic laboratory technicians
    • Nearly all ophthalmic laboratory technicians learn their skills on the job.
    • Employment is expected to grow more slowly than the average, reflecting the increasing use of automated machinery.
    • Only a limited number of job openings will be created each year, because the occupation is small.
  • Painting and coating workers, except construction and maintenance
    • Nearly 70 percent of jobs are in manufacturing establishments.
    • Most workers acquire their skills on the job; for most operators, training lasts from a few days to several months, but becoming skilled in all aspects of automotive painting usually requires 1 to 2 years.
    • Employment growth for highly skilled transportation painters and automotive refinishers is projected to be faster than for lesser skilled painting, coating, and spraying machine operators, whose jobs are subject to automation.
  • Photographic process workers and processing machine operators
    • Little or no employment growth is expected as digital photography becomes commonplace.
    • Most receive on-the-job training from their companies, manufacturers’ representatives, and experienced workers.
    • Job opportunities will be best for individuals with experience using computers and digital technology.
  • Semiconductor processors
    • Employment is expected to decline over the next 10 years because of rising imports of computer chips and increasing automation of fabrication plants in this country.
    • An associate degree in a relevant curriculum is increasingly required.

See the Occupational Outlook Handbook in print.