# Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

US SOC code 51-4121. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-4121

Also called: Welder, MIG welder, TIG welder, Pipe welder, Structural welder.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **416,210** US welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, with median pay of **$53,750** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **424,040**, in May 2024, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.aws.org/standards/page/aws-history) of **100,000** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers: Digital inverter welders + cobots enter fab shops, 2000 to 2015. Inverter welders improved portable field-welding capability.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-4121&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **3.9%** 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)
- **0.94** 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)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.94. BLS counted **352,250** of these jobs in May 2013 and **416,210** in May 2025 (+18%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1881
- Latest US employment: 416,210 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $53,750 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [17]
- Outlook: +2.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [38]

### 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.

- **Canada** (NOC 72106)
  - Employment, 2020: 87,165. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 72106 Welders and related machine operators, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$56,400. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [21]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 72106 Welders and related machine operators, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.
- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 5213)
  - Employment, 2025: 37,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [12]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in SOC 5213 Welding trades, United Kingdom, 2025 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £34,742. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [24]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for all employee jobs in SOC 5213 Welding trades, United Kingdom, 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 3223)
  - Employment, 2025: 78,000. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [13]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 3223 Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$87,776. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [25]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,688 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 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 100,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., American Welding Society [1] |
| 1940 | 350,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [2] |
| 1944 | 900,000 (estimate) | $2,500 (estimate) | Est., National Park Service (employment) [3]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [14] |
| 1960 | 500,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [2] |
| 1980 | 700,000 (estimate) | $22,000 (estimate) | Est., BLS [4] |
| 2000 | 413,720 | $27,300 | BLS OEWS 2000 [5] |
| 2003 | 354,300 | $29,640 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 344,970 | $30,620 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 358,050 | $30,990 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 376,630 | $31,400 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 385,740 | $32,270 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 392,520 | $33,560 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 357,740 | $34,750 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 314,260 | $35,450 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 316,290 | $35,920 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 329,710 | $36,300 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 352,250 | $36,720 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 369,610 | $37,420 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 386,240 | $38,150 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 382,730 | $39,390 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 377,250 | $40,240 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 389,190 | $41,380 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 410,750 | $42,490 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 397,550 | $44,190 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 397,600 | $47,010 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 408,990 | $47,540 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 421,730 | $48,940 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 424,040 | $51,000 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 416,210 | $53,750 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (121)

### Employment series

1. [American Welding Society — "History of AWS" (founded March 28, 1919, to advance welding science and technology)](https://www.aws.org/standards/page/aws-history), American Welding Society
2. [IPUMS USA — 1940 Census occupational codes (welders and flamecutters in manufacturing industries)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/9050occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
3. [National Park Service — Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historical Park (Kaiser Shipyards, Richmond, California: 90,000 workers, Liberty Ship production)](https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm), National Park Service
4. [BLS — "Forty years of falling manufacturing employment" (manufacturing peak 19.5M, June 1979)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-9/forty-years-of-falling-manufacturing-employment.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. 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), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada
10. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 5215, 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)
11. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 5213, 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
12. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 5213, 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
13. [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

14. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1940-1949" (skilled manufacturing worker wages ~$1.00-1.25/hr; welder wage premium estimated)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1940-1949), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
15. [BLS — Manufacturing production worker wages at peak (1980 context); BLS CPI-U inflation adjustment calculator](https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-9/forty-years-of-falling-manufacturing-employment.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
16. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. 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), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
18. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
19. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
20. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
21. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada
22. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 5215, 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)
23. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 5213, 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
24. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 5213, 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
25. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/3223-structural-steel-and-welding-trades-workers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

26. [Wikipedia — Welding (Auguste de Méritens 1881 carbon arc; Benardos-Olszewski 1885-87; Slavyanov metal electrode 1888)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding), Wikipedia
27. [Wikipedia — Shielded metal arc welding (Kjellberg coated electrode, ESAB founding 1904, Strohmenger 1912)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shielded_metal_arc_welding), Wikipedia
28. [National Park Service — Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front (Kaiser Shipyards welding workforce, Liberty Ship production)](https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm), National Park Service
29. [Wikipedia — Gas tungsten arc welding (Russell Meredith Heliarc patent 1941, Northrop XP-56, inert gas shielding history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_tungsten_arc_welding), Wikipedia
30. [Wikipedia — Gas metal arc welding (Battelle Memorial Institute 1948, H. E. Kennedy, CO2 shielding 1953)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_metal_arc_welding), Wikipedia
31. [Wikipedia — Unimate (Devol patent June 1961, GM Inland Fisher Guide Plant, Ewing NJ, welding and die-casting transfer)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unimate), Wikipedia
32. [Wikipedia — Robotic welding (use of robots in welding took off in the 1980s with automotive spot welding; 120,000+ welding robots in North America by 2005)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotic_welding), Wikipedia
33. [Wikipedia — Industrial robot (FANUC, Yaskawa, ABB, KUKA as major welding robot suppliers; automotive 30% of industrial robot market)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_robot), Wikipedia
34. [Wikipedia — Welding power supply, Inverter section (inverter welding units: microcontroller-controlled output waveform, pulse MIG, variable current profiles, software-configurable process modes)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding_power_supply#Inverter), Wikipedia
35. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 51-4121 Welders (2024-34 projections: +2.2%, 457.3K → 467.2K)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-4121&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
36. [American Society for Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card — Bridges (IIJA Bridge Formula Program $27.5B; 12,306 new bridge projects; $191.3B rehabilitation need)](https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges-infrastructure/), American Society of Civil Engineers
37. [American Welding Society — "History of AWS" (CWI program founded 1976; over 100,000 CWIs certified)](https://www.aws.org/standards/page/aws-history), American Welding Society

### Forecasts and exposure studies

38. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 51-4121 Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (2025: 437.7 thousand; 2035: 448.1 thousand; +2.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-4121&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
39. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers: probability 0.94, rank 598 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
40. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 51-4121.00, human-rated β 0.039)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

41. [Wikipedia — Welding (Auguste de Méritens 1881, carbon arc joining lead plates, French patent)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding), Wikipedia
42. [Wikipedia — Shielded metal arc welding (Kjellberg coated electrode; ESAB founding 1904)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shielded_metal_arc_welding), Wikipedia
43. [American Welding Society — "History of AWS" (founding March 28, 1919)](https://www.aws.org/standards/page/aws-history), American Welding Society
44. [Wikipedia — Gas tungsten arc welding (Russell Meredith Heliarc patent 1941, Northrop XP-56 magnesium aircraft)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_tungsten_arc_welding), Wikipedia
45. [National Park Service — Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historical Park (Kaiser Shipyards: 90,000 workers; Liberty Ship every 24 hours; Wendy the Welder)](https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm), National Park Service
46. [Wikipedia — Gas metal arc welding (Battelle Memorial Institute 1948, CO2 shielding 1953, automotive manufacturing adoption)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_metal_arc_welding), Wikipedia
47. [Wikipedia — Unimate (first industrial robot; GM Inland Fisher Guide Plant, Ewing NJ, 1961; Devol patent; Engelberger / Unimation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unimate), Wikipedia
48. [Wikipedia — Robotic welding (120,000+ robots in North American industry by 2005; approximately half for welding)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotic_welding), Wikipedia
49. [American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card — Bridges (IIJA Bridge Formula Program $27.5B; 12,306 new bridge projects; $191.3B rehabilitation need)](https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges-infrastructure/), American Society of Civil Engineers

### Predecessors & successors

50. [Wikipedia — Welding (forge welding as predecessor; blacksmith craft as precursor to modern welding trades)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding), Wikipedia
51. [National Park Service — Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front (transition from riveting to welding in WWII shipyards)](https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm), National Park Service

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (51-4121.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-4121.00), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (2024-34)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS OEWS May 2025 — 51-4121: median annual wage $53,750, 416,210 employed](https://skilledtradesiq.com/salaries/bls-2025-oews-release/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [American Welding Society — Welding Workforce Data (336,000 needed by 2026, 80,000 openings/yr through 2029)](https://weldingworkforcedata.com/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [AWS Welding Digest, Oct 2025 — Where Are the Welders?](https://www.aws.org/magazines-and-media/welding-digest/2025/october/wd-oct-2025-where-are-the-welders), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Pemamek — Trends Shaping Welding Automation in 2026](https://pemamek.com/discover/trends-shaping-welding-automation-in-2026/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [EVS International — Complete Guide to Robotic Welding 2026](https://www.evsint.com/complete-guide-robotic-welding-2026/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Lincoln Electric — Cooper Welding Cobot (FANUC CRX)](https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en/Products/Automation/Collaborative-Welding), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Lincoln Electric — CheckPoint Cloud Production Monitoring](https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en/products/equipment/welding-equipment/advanced-process-welders-welding-equipment/power-wave/production-monitoring), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Vectis Automation — AI Path Optimization + Clarity Dashboard (FABTECH 2025)](https://vectisautomation.com/product-overview), accessed 2026-06-03
- [AWS Certification — Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)](https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/certified-welding-inspector/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [AWS Certification — Certified Robotic Arc Welding (CRAW)](https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/certified-robotic-arc-welding/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Salary.com — Certified Welding Inspector salary range $73,646-$118,183 (2026)](https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/certified-welding-inspector-salary), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Salary.com — Welding Robot Programmer average $100,929 (May 2026)](https://www.salary.com/research/salary/recruiting/welding-robot-programmer-salary), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-03
- [WELD-DETR: A Real-Time Welding Defect Detection Framework (PubMed, Nov 2025)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12656187/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [WeldVGG: Deep Learning Model for Weld Defect Classification (PubMed, Oct 2025)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12526791/), accessed 2026-06-03

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