Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic job market in Washington
Industries employing milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are shrinking more slowly in Washington
In early 2026, employment in those industries was down 1.0% from a year earlier, compared with a 1.1% decline nationwide.
These are industry-wide trends, not a count of jobs in this occupation or current openings.
BLS QCEW sourceMethodologyNational Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic report
Industry employment change over time
Year-over-year change for the industries that employ Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Washington
Every published quarter
BLS does not publish a national quarterly series for this occupation’s industry mix, so only the Washington series is shown. The U.S. figure on the cards above is the latest quarter benchmark.
| Quarter | Washington | State data coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | +1.1% | 100% |
| 2024 Q3 | +0.7% | 100% |
| 2024 Q4 | -3.5% | 100% |
| 2025 Q1 | -0.7% | 100% |
| 2025 Q2 | -2.0% | 100% |
| 2025 Q3 | -2.6% | 100% |
| 2025 Q4 | +1.5% | 100% |
| 2026 Q1 | -1.0% | 100% |
Industry mix behind this view
Which industries are weighted into this view. Not a ranking of employers or of job quality.
| Industry group | Share of occupation employment | Local employment change | Establishments | Avg. weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 87.9% | -1.0% | 8,081 | $2,301 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 4.0% | -1.1% | 37,691 | $1,437 |
| Construction | 2.4% | -1.4% | 27,183 | $1,698 |
| Professional and business services | 2.4% | -0.2% | 56,930 | $2,959 |
| Mining and logging | 1.6% | -2.6% | 494 | $1,806 |
| Other services | 0.8% | +1.3% | 20,382 | $1,166 |
The publication date above is the official BLS news release date for this reference quarter, linked to the notice. The values match the snapshot independently checked against BLS sources on September 17, 2026. The publication date identifies the quarterly news release, not the exact revision date. The data period above is the quarter the figures describe.
QCEW describes the industries that employ this occupation, not the occupation itself. It is not a count of job openings and is not part of the 0-100 Job Market Health score.
How to read this page
QCEW measures employment and wages by industry, not by occupation. We weight those industry conditions using the published industry mix for Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic. These figures describe the industries that employ Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic; they are not direct counts of people working in the occupation or of jobs currently open. This page is not part of the national 0 to 100 Job Market Health score.
Source: BLS QCEW. See the methodology, the national Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic report and about the data.