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Glass forming machine operator

Also called glass molder, glass moulder, glass production operator

Glass forming machine operators operate and maintain machines that press or blow molten glass in moulds to form or shape products, such as neons, bottles, jars and drinking glasses. They set up and adjust machines, and weigh, measure and check production samples to check conformity to the set specifications.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects22 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Stationary plant and machine operatorsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,000 (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Stationary plant and machine operatorsWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Stationary plant and machine operatorsWill AI change it?Very littleLevel 1 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Glass and ceramics plant operators · ILO

What you'd do

Glass and ceramics plant operators · ILO
  • Operating and monitoring glass-making furnaces to make glass by melting and fusing pre-mixed ingredients
  • Tending hot- or cold-end spray equipment used to coat glassware with surface hardener
  • Operating and maintaining machines that press or blow molten glass in moulds to form or shape containers, such as bottles, jars and drinking glasses
  • Operating hand press to mould glass into required shape
  • Operating drawing kiln to process molten glass into continuous sheet of flat glass
  • Operating and monitoring floating-glass production plant
  • Operating and maintaining finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash or polish glass or glass products
  • Setting and operating press machines to mould ceramic articles from moist clay
  • Operating machines to mix clay with water to knead it into a suitable plastic condition or semi-liquid form for making ceramic products
  • Operating and monitoring kilns which bake pottery, porcelain ware bricks and tiles
  • Operating and monitoring machines for making glaze or abrasives
  • Operating and monitoring machines which extrude molten glass to form fibreglass filaments
  • Observing finished products to identify splits, cracks, breaks, colour and other imperfections
Observe products' behaviour under processing conditionsOptimise production processes parametersInspect glass sheetObserve glass under heatMeasure materials+ 9 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 stationary plant and machine operators in the EU
4.79m4.76m4.7m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
1,125,000 replacing leavers 71,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Stationary plant and machine operators22
All jobs29
Right now
7 of 27 countries report a shortage of glass and ceramics plant operators, 2 a surplus.
Glass and ceramics plant operators · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (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 plant and machine operators, and assemblers in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of stationary plant and machine operators (EU, 2025)
Degree 8%Vocational 53%General secondary 10%Basic schooling 29%

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 0.17 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 finished products to identify splits, cracks, breaks, colour and other imperfections0.34
Operating and monitoring floating-glass production plant0.21
Operating and monitoring glass-making furnaces to make glass by melting and fusing pre-mixed ingredients0.18
Operating drawing kiln to process molten glass into continuous sheet of flat glass0.17
Operating and monitoring machines for making glaze or abrasives0.17
Operating and monitoring machines which extrude molten glass to form fibreglass filaments0.17
Operating and monitoring kilns which bake pottery, porcelain ware bricks and tiles0.17
Operating and maintaining finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash or polish glass or glass products0.15
Tending hot- or cold-end spray equipment used to coat glassware with surface hardener0.15
Operating and maintaining machines that press or blow molten glass in moulds to form or shape containers, such as bottles, jars and drinking glasses0.15
Setting and operating press machines to mould ceramic articles from moist clay0.14
Operating machines to mix clay with water to knead it into a suitable plastic condition or semi-liquid form for making ceramic products0.13
Operating hand press to mould glass into required shape0.12

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 and ceramics plant operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).