Precious Metal Workers vs Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

medium risk

Precious Metal Workers

39 shared · 11 different

core competencies

medium risk

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

Side-by-Side Comparison

Precious Metal Workers leads 4–1

Metric	Precious Metal Workers	Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Risk Score	35.1%	39.7%
Risk Tier	Medium Risk	Medium Risk
Risk Percentile	66th	80th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	7 / 15	6 / 15
Median Salary	$49,140	$38,420
Employment	23K	19K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Thinking Creatively

Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information

Handling and Moving Objects

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Control Precision

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material

Fluency of Ideas

Rate Control

Operation and Control

MathematicsAI-Vulnerable

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Precious Metal Workers

26%

total discount

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

25%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Precious Metal Workers

7 of 15 at risk

77%Weigh and mix alloy ingredients, using formulas and knowledge of ingredients' chemical properties.

63%Rotate molds to distribute alloys and to prevent formation of air pockets.

63%Carry castings or finished items to storage areas or to different work stations.

61%Rout out locations where parts are to be joined to items, using routing machines.

55%Examine articles to determine the nature of defects requiring repair, such as dents, uneven bottoms, scratches, or holes.

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

6 of 15 at risk

86%Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.

85%Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments.

85%Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.

67%Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses.

53%Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut.

Wage Comparison

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians earns -$10,720(-22%) vs Precious Metal Workers

Precious Metal WorkersOphthalmic Laboratory Technicians

10th

$33,890$31,250

25th

$38,030$35,580

Median

$49,140$38,420

75th

$63,210$45,410

90th

$81,610$55,480

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Precious Metal Workers2028–2035

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Precious Metal Workers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Precious Metal Workers

$31,912

from $49,140

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

$23,152

from $38,420

After adjusting for AI risk, Precious Metal Workers offers $8,760 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Precious

Unique to Ophthalmic

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Creativity

Fine Manipulation

Regulatory Barriers

Social Intelligence

Precious Metal WorkersOphthalmic Laboratory Technicians

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