Pourers and Casters build operation and control, operations monitoring and judgment and decision making skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic (90%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 90% | $46,170 | −11% | None |
| 2 | Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | 86% | $46,350 | −11% | None |
| 3 | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | 83% | $42,660 | −18% | None |
| 4 | Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 82% | $46,570 | −10% | None |
| 5 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 82% | $41,220 | −20% | None |
| 6 | Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons | 82% | $61,290 | +18% | None |
| 7 | Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | 81% | $46,460 | −10% | None |
| 8 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 81% | $50,270 | −3% | None |
| 9 | Tire Builders | 80% | $57,390 | +11% | None |
| 10 | Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 80% | $96,710 | +87% | None |
Compared with Pourers and Casters, Metal, median $51,810. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as pourers and casters (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
90% skill match · $46,170 · −11% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Instructing · Equipment Selection
86% skill match · $46,350 · −11% pay
Operations Monitoring · Repairing · Operation and Control
83% skill match · $42,660 · −18% pay
Repairing · Equipment Selection · Quality Control Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic (90% skill match, median $46,170), Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers (86% skill match, median $46,350) and Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand (83% skill match, median $42,660), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 9 pay more than pourers and casters at the median. The biggest increases: Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers (+87%, $96,710), Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators (+49%, $77,320) and Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators (+35%, $70,070).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.