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Woodworkers held about 374,000 jobs in 2002. Self-employed woodworkers, mostly cabinetmakers and furniture finishers, accounted for 10 percent of these jobs. Employment among detailed woodworking occupations was distributed as follows:
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters 147,000
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing 95,000
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 56,000
Furniture finishers 39,000
Model makers, wood 4,400
Patternmakers, wood 4,200
All other woodworkers 29,000
About 3 out of 4 woodworkers were employed in manufacturing industries. Among these woodworkers, 41 percent were found in establishments fabricating household and office furniture and fixtures and 28 percent worked in wood product manufacturing, producing a variety of raw, intermediate, and finished wood stock. Wholesale and retail lumber dealers, furniture stores, reupholstery and furniture repair shops, and construction firms also employ woodworkers.
Woodworking jobs are found throughout the country. However, production jobs are concentrated in the South and Northwest, close to the supply of wood, whereas furniture makers are more prevalent in the East. Custom shops can be found everywhere, but generally are concentrated in or near highly populated areas.
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Employment of woodworkers is expected to grow more slowly than average through the year 2012. Little or no growth is expected among woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders. Employment of cabinetmakers and bench carpenters and furniture finishers is expected to grow more slowly than average and employment of model makers and patternmakers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job openings also will arise each year because of the need to replace experienced woodworkers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.
Demand for woodworkers will stem from increases in population, personal income, and business expenditures, in addition to the continuing need for repair and renovation of residential and commercial properties. Therefore, opportunities should be available for woodworkers who specialize in such items as moldings, cabinets, stairs, and windows. Due to increasingly automated manufacturing processes, job prospects will be best for highly skilled woodworkers with knowledge of computerized numerical control machine tool operation.
Several factors may limit the growth of woodworking occupations. Technological advances, such as robots and CNC machinery, will continue to increase productivity among woodworkers, preventing employment from rising as fast as the demand for wood products, particularly in the mills and manufacturing plants where many processes can be automated. In addition, more jobs in the United States will be lost as imports continue to grow and as U.S. firms move some production to other countries. Also, the demand for wood may be reduced somewhat, as materials such as metal, plastic, and fiberglass continue to be used in many products as alternatives to wood. Environmental measures designed to control various pollutants used in, or generated by, woodworking processes also may adversely impact employment.
Employment in all woodworking specialties is highly sensitive to economic cycles. During economic downturns, workers are subject to layoffs or reductions in hours.
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