# Team Assemblers

US SOC code 51-2092. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-2092

## In brief

BLS last counted US team assemblers as their own occupation in May 2016: **1,112,780** jobs. Median pay was **$30,060** a year in May 2016. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI) of **250,000** from 1984, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for team assemblers: Collaborative robots, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS's 2025-35 employment projections do not list this occupation on its own.

### AI exposure studies

- **8.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.97** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2016.

## Team Assemblers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1984
- Latest US employment: 1,112,780 (May 2016). Source: BLS OEWS May 2016 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $30,060 (May 2016). Source: BLS OEWS May 2016 [11]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 8149)
  - Employment, 2025: 111,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [7]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in Assemblers and routine operatives, United Kingdom, 2025, taken as the sum of the cited cells for SOC 8141 + 8142 + 8149 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £26,975. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [14]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for the dominant constituent group, SOC 8149, within the combined Assemblers and routine operatives (SOC 8141 + 8142 + 8149), United Kingdom, 2025. Wages are the cited median of the largest constituent group, not a blend. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 8322)
  - Employment, 2025: 28,600. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [8]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 8322 Product Assemblers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$62,192. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [15]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,196 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 17 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1984 | 250,000 (estimate) | $18,000 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia (employment) [1]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [9] |
| 1990 | 600,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 2000 | 1,306,430 | $21,470 | BLS OEWS 2000 [3] |
| 2003 | 1,138,100 | $23,180 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 1,208,270 | $23,750 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 1,242,370 | $24,120 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 1,250,120 | $24,190 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 1,167,150 | $24,630 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 1,131,060 | $25,620 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 997,390 | $26,820 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 928,170 | $27,180 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 952,300 | $27,490 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 1,006,980 | $27,640 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 1,058,100 | $28,170 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 1,125,160 | $28,370 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 1,115,510 | $29,080 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 1,112,780 | $30,060 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |

## Sources (76)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — NUMMI (December 1984, 5,500 workers at peak; first production December 1984)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI), Wikipedia
2. [Wikipedia — The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones, Roos, 1990 — coined "lean manufacturing," MIT IMVP five-year study)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_That_Changed_the_World_%28book%29), Wikipedia
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip)
5. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (number of employee jobs), 4-digit SOC 8131 + 8132 + 8139, United Kingdom, (sum of the cited cells). Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip), [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
6. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (number of employee jobs), 4-digit SOC 8142 + 8149, United Kingdom, 2022 (sum of the cited cells). Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
7. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (number of employee jobs), 4-digit SOC 8141 + 8142 + 8149, United Kingdom, 2025 (sum of the cited cells). Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
8. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

9. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1980-1989" (manufacturing production worker wages ~$8-10/hr at 1984)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1980-1989), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
10. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip)
12. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 8139, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip), [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
13. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 8149, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
14. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 8149, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
15. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Product Assemblers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/8322-product-assemblers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

16. [Wikipedia — Highland Park Ford Plant (moving assembly line December 1913, chassis time reduction from 12.5 to 1.5 hours)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Park_Ford_Plant), Wikipedia
17. [Wikipedia — Assembly line (Ford innovation, single-station model, labor implications)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_line), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia — Toyota Production System (Taiichi Ohno and Eiji Toyoda, 1948-1975, TPS principles of team and multi-skill)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Production_System), Wikipedia
19. [Wikipedia — Lean manufacturing (TPS history, US adoption timeline, andon cord, kaizen)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing), Wikipedia
20. [Wikipedia — NUMMI (December 1984 opening, 5,500 workers, same workforce as prior GM plant, Japanese quality standards achieved)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI), Wikipedia
21. [Wikipedia — Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (opened 1988, Georgetown Kentucky, first Toyota stand-alone US plant)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Motor_Manufacturing_Kentucky), Wikipedia
22. [Wikipedia — The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones, Roos 1990 — coined "lean manufacturing," MIT IMVP study)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_That_Changed_the_World_%28book%29), Wikipedia
23. [Wikipedia — North American Free Trade Agreement (effective January 1, 1994; manufacturing trade provisions)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement), Wikipedia
24. [Autor, Dorn, Hanson (2016) — "The China Shock: Learning from Labor Market Adjustment to Large Changes in Trade" (Annual Review of Economics)](https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-economics-080315-015041), Annual Review of Economics
25. [Wikipedia — Collaborative robot (invented 1996 Northwestern University; Universal Robots 2005 founding; 50,000 cobots installed worldwide by 2020)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_robot), Wikipedia
26. [Wikipedia — Universal Robots (founded 2005 Odense Denmark, UR5 launched 2008, 50,000 cobots installed worldwide by 2020)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Robots), Wikipedia
27. [Wikipedia — CHIPS and Science Act (signed August 9, 2022; $39B manufacturing subsidies, 25% equipment tax credit, 44,000 jobs from incentivized projects)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act), Wikipedia
28. [O\*NET 51-2092.00 — BLS Occupational Outlook 2024-34 (little or no change; 156,300 annual openings; EV and reshoring context)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-2092.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Forecasts and exposure studies

29. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 51-2092 Team Assemblers: probability 0.97, rank 646 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
30. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 51-2092.00, human-rated β 0.088)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

31. [Wikipedia — Highland Park Ford Plant (moving assembly line December 1, 1913)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Park_Ford_Plant), Wikipedia
32. [Wikipedia — Honda of America Mfg. (Marysville Ohio; motorcycle production 1979, automobile production 1982)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_of_America_Mfg.), Wikipedia
33. [Wikipedia — NUMMI (December 1984, 5,500 workers at peak, over 85% from prior GM workforce, Toyota quality achieved)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI), Wikipedia
34. [Wikipedia — The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones, Roos 1990, MIT IMVP, lean manufacturing coined)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_That_Changed_the_World_%28book%29), Wikipedia
35. [Wikipedia — North American Free Trade Agreement (effective January 1, 1994; automotive manufacturing provisions)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement), Wikipedia
36. [Wikipedia — CHIPS and Science Act (August 9, 2022; $39B semiconductor subsidies; 44,000 projected manufacturing jobs)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act), Wikipedia
37. [O\*NET 51-2092.00 — BLS 2024 figures (1,467,100 employment; $42,210 median wage; little or no change projected through 2034)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-2092.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Predecessors & successors

38. [Wikipedia — NUMMI (same workers, retrained under TPS team model)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.