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Drafter

Also called draughter, draftsperson, CAD draughter

Drafters prepare and create technical drawings using a special software or manual techniques, to show how something is built or works.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects27 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Science and engineering associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,600 (Bulgaria) to €6,500 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Science and engineering associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree4 in 10 have a degree. 5 in 10 train through vocational routes.Science and engineering associate professionalsWill AI change it?LittleLevel 2 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Draughtspersons · ILO

What you'd do

Draughtspersons · ILO
  • Preparing and revising working drawings from sketches and specifications prepared by engineers and designers for the manufacture, installation and erection of machinery and equipment or for the construction, modification, maintenance and repair of buildings, dams, bridges, roads and other architectural and civil engineering projects
  • Operating computer-aided design and drafting equipment to create, modify and generate hard-copy and digital representations of working drawings
  • Operating digitizing table or similar equipment to transfer hard-copy representation of working drawings, maps and other curves to digital form
  • Preparing and revising illustrations for reference works, brochures and technical manuals dealing with the assembly, installation, operation, maintenance and repair of machinery and other equipment and goods
  • Copying drawings and paintings onto stone or metal plates for printing
  • Preparing wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams and layout drawings used for manufacture, installation and repair of electrical equipment in factories, power plants, and buildings
  • Creating detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods and other engineering information
  • Arranging for completed drawings to be reproduced for use as working drawings
Use manual draughting techniquesCreate technical plansUse CADD softwareUse CAD softwareDraw blueprints+ 7 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Mechanical Drafters"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as science and engineering associate professionals in the EU
7.4m7.3m7.49m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
142,000 new jobs 1,835,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Science and engineering associate professionals27
All jobs29
Right now
6 of 27 countries report a shortage of draughtspersons, 6 a surplus.
Draughtspersons · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,500 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in building and civil engineering is the usual route.

Highest qualification of science and engineering associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 41%Vocational 43%General secondary 7%Basic schooling 9%
Field that teaches it
Building and civil engineering
Vocational route, EU
5 in 10 trainees in this field
Engineering graduates in a matching job
73% in the EU

949 institutions in the EU offer engineering bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Little

AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.35 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Operating computer-aided design and drafting equipment to create, modify and generate hard-copy and digital representations of working drawings0.47
Operating digitizing table or similar equipment to transfer hard-copy representation of working drawings, maps and other curves to digital form0.46
Arranging for completed drawings to be reproduced for use as working drawings0.39
Preparing and revising working drawings from sketches and specifications prepared by engineers and designers for the manufacture, installation and erection of machinery and equipment or for the construction, modification, maintenance and repair of buildings, dams, bridges, roads and other architectural and civil engineering projects0.38
Creating detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods and other engineering information0.34
Preparing and revising illustrations for reference works, brochures and technical manuals dealing with the assembly, installation, operation, maintenance and repair of machinery and other equipment and goods0.32
Preparing wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams and layout drawings used for manufacture, installation and repair of electrical equipment in factories, power plants, and buildings0.28
Copying drawings and paintings onto stone or metal plates for printing0.15

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for draughtspersons. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).