Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers
Machines can already do 21% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 59%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 21% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 59% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 33,190 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $46,170 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 58% for contact with people.
- Also called: Bender, Gaffer, Glass Artist, Glass Bender.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat glass to pliable stage, using gas flames or ovens and rotating glass to heat it uniformly | 13% | 20% to 60% | |
| Shape, bend, or join sections of glass, using paddles, pressing and flattening hand tools, or cork | 11% | 20% to 60% | |
| Blow tubing into specified shapes to prevent glass from collapsing, using compressed air or own breath, or blow and rotate gathers in molds or on boards to obtain final shapes | 11% | 20% to 60% | |
| Place glass into dies or molds of presses and control presses to form products, such as glassware components or optical blanks | 11% | 20% to 60% | |
| Design and create glass objects, using blowpipes and artisans' hand tools and equipment | 7% | 3% to 30% | |
| Operate and maintain finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash, or polish glass or glass products | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Inspect, weigh, and measure products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, calipers, magnifiers, or rulers | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Set up and adjust machine press stroke lengths and pressures and regulate oven temperatures, according to glass types to be processed | 5% | 20% to 60% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills glass blowers, molders, benders, and finishers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Bakers58% of tasks by 2035 · US median $37,160
- Furniture Finishers50% of tasks by 2035 · US median $44,540
- Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials56% of tasks by 2035 · US median $35,060
- Floral Designers53% of tasks by 2035 · US median $37,360
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of glass blowers, molders, benders, and finishers?
Machines can do 21% of the tasks of glass blowers, molders, benders, and finishers today and 59% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 51-9195.04 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/glass-blowers-molders-benders-and-finishers/