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Rubber products machine operator

Also called cure operator, banbury operator, calender machine operator

Rubber products machine operators operate machines which knead, blend, calender, mould, extrude and cure rubber products from natural and synthetic rubber. They measure the ingredients for mixing and load them into the machine. Rubber products machine operators monitor and control the tempature, pressure and speed during production.

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.Rubber products machine operators · ILO

What you'd do

Rubber products machine operators · ILO
  • Operating and monitoring machines which knead, mix and blend rubber and rubber compounds for further processing
  • Operating and monitoring machines which produce sheets of rubber or rubberized fabric by a rolling process
  • Operating and monitoring machines which extrude compounded rubber or shape vulcanized rubber by moulding
  • Operating and monitoring machines which build up tires on a form, vulcanise tires and mould or rebuild used tyres
  • Examining outputs for defects and conformity to specifications
  • Locating defects and repairing worn and faulty tyres by vulcanizing or other processes
Measure materialsOptimise production processes parametersPerform test runAdjust the rubber machinesTroubleshoot+ 5 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • On your feet most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people
  • Little freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the related, broader US job "Tire Builders"

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
8 of 27 countries report a shortage of rubber products machine operators, 3 a surplus.
Rubber products machine 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 0.18 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 6 tasks
Examining outputs for defects and conformity to specifications0.27
Operating and monitoring machines which build up tires on a form, vulcanise tires and mould or rebuild used tyres0.18
Operating and monitoring machines which produce sheets of rubber or rubberized fabric by a rolling process0.17
Operating and monitoring machines which knead, mix and blend rubber and rubber compounds for further processing0.17
Operating and monitoring machines which extrude compounded rubber or shape vulcanized rubber by moulding0.16
Locating defects and repairing worn and faulty tyres by vulcanizing or other processes0.15

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 rubber products machine operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).