Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
Construct, assemble, or rebuild machines, such as engines, turbines, and similar equipment used in such industries as construction, extraction, textiles, and paper manufacturing.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Quality Control Analysis
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
Key knowledge
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Design
What the work involves
- Inspect, operate, and test completed products to verify functioning, machine capabilities, or conformance to customer specifications.
- Position or align components for assembly, manually or using hoists.
- Set and verify parts clearances.
- Rework, repair, or replace damaged parts or assemblies.
- Read and interpret assembly blueprints or specifications manuals, and plan assembly or building operations.
- Verify conformance of parts to stock lists or blueprints, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauges, or micrometers.
- Fasten or install piping, fixtures, or wiring and electrical components to form assemblies or subassemblies, using hand tools, rivet guns, or welding equipment.
- Remove rough spots and smooth surfaces to fit, trim, or clean parts, using hand tools or power tools.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (64.1% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (24.4%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (31.7%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Engine and Other Machine Assemblers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 67% of occupations compared | 54% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 74% of occupations compared | 34% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Moderate | Lower on teamwork than 55% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 82% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 82% of occupations compared | 56% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Low | Lower on conflict situations than 77% of occupations compared | 45% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 52% of occupations compared | 28% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 69% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Very serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very high
- Conflict situations: low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0.55%
- Occasional contact with others: 12.69%
- Contact with others about half the time: 11.82%
- Contact with others most of the time: 20.62%
- Constant contact with others: 54.31%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 34.39%
- Fairly important: 10.91%
- Important: 17.17%
- Very important: 16.13%
- Extremely important: 21.4%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0.55%
- Fairly important: 4.6%
- Important: 13.72%
- Very important: 35.48%
- Extremely important: 45.65%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 9.59%
- Very little freedom: 5.97%
- Limited freedom: 16.81%
- Some freedom: 43.05%
- A lot of freedom: 24.57%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 3.06%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 19.29%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 21.53%
- Every day: 56.12%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
Conflict situations
- Never: 17.19%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 44.94%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 20.54%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 12.2%
- Every day: 5.14%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 19.41%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 22.31%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 27.74%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 19.3%
- Every day: 11.23%
n = 37, Incumbent 07/2014
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 17.85%
- Fairly serious: 8.33%
- Serious: 14.68%
- Very serious: 32.39%
- Extremely serious: 26.75%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2014
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O*NET-SOC 51-2031.00 · SOC 51-2031 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8