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Glass beveller

Also called glass edger, glass cutter, glass beveler

Glass bevellers measure, cut, assemble and install flat glass and mirrors. They also load and unload glass, mirrors and equipment, drive to installation sites, install metal or wood frameworks that need to be fitted with glass, and work according to client specifications.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects9 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Handicraft and printing workersWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,100 (Bulgaria) to €4,900 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Handicraft and printing workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Handicraft and printing workersWill AI change it?Very littleLevel 1 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers · ILO

What you'd do

Glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers · ILO
  • Heating glass to pliable stage using gas flames or ovens, and rotating glass to heat it uniformly
  • Blowing and bending glass tubing into specified shapes to form scientific apparatus such as flasks, retorts and pipettes
  • Grinding and polishing glass objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing and smoothing and polishing rough edges, using belt sander or polishing wheels
  • Examining glass stock and finished products and marking or discarding items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes
  • Reading work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations and quantities to cut
  • Observing gauges, computer printouts and video monitors to verify specified processing conditions and make adjustments as necessary
  • Positioning pattern or drawing on glass, measuring dimensions, and marking cutting lines, using glass cutting tools and cutting glass along marked outlines or around pattern
  • Setting up, operating and adjusting computerized or robotic glass cutting equipment
  • Inspecting, weighing and measuring products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, callipers, magnifiers and rulers
  • Regulating oven temperatures according to glass types to be processed
  • Transferring pattern for individual stained glass parts from full size drawing to pattern paper, using stylus to trace drawings
  • Spraying silver solution on glass to provide mirrored surface, using spray gun
  • Laying out cutting and grinding optical and other glass to specified dimensions and weight for moulding into lens blanks and for use as watch crystals
Cut glassManipulate glassSet up the controller of a machineInspect glass sheetOperate bevelling machine+ 11 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Some contact with people
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines now and then
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as handicraft and printing workers in the EU
1.02m893k739k 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
204,000 replacing leavers 126,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Handicraft and printing workers9
All jobs29
Right now
4 of 27 countries report a shortage of glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers, 3 a surplus.
Glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,100 a month (Bulgaria) to €4,900 (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 craft and related trades workers in the EU, women earn 26% less per hour than men. Craft and related trades workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of handicraft and printing workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 17%Vocational 48%General secondary 11%Basic schooling 24%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Very 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 0.19 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 13 tasks
Observing gauges, computer printouts and video monitors to verify specified processing conditions and make adjustments as necessary0.29
Inspecting, weighing and measuring products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, callipers, magnifiers and rulers0.27
Reading work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations and quantities to cut0.25
Regulating oven temperatures according to glass types to be processed0.24
Examining glass stock and finished products and marking or discarding items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes0.20
Heating glass to pliable stage using gas flames or ovens, and rotating glass to heat it uniformly0.17
Transferring pattern for individual stained glass parts from full size drawing to pattern paper, using stylus to trace drawings0.17
Blowing and bending glass tubing into specified shapes to form scientific apparatus such as flasks, retorts and pipettes0.15
Setting up, operating and adjusting computerized or robotic glass cutting equipment0.15
Positioning pattern or drawing on glass, measuring dimensions, and marking cutting lines, using glass cutting tools and cutting glass along marked outlines or around pattern0.14
Grinding and polishing glass objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing and smoothing and polishing rough edges, using belt sander or polishing wheels0.14
Spraying silver solution on glass to provide mirrored surface, using spray gun0.14
Laying out cutting and grinding optical and other glass to specified dimensions and weight for moulding into lens blanks and for use as watch crystals0.12

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 glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).