Career Trends: Painting and Coating Workers

Painting and coating workers paint and coat, often with machines, a wide range of products, including cars, jewelry, and ceramics.

Most painting and coating workers are employed full time. They often stand for long periods in specially ventilated areas.

Most painting and coating workers learn on the job after earning a high school diploma or equivalent. Training for new workers usually lasts from a few days to several months.

Overall employment of painting and coating workers is projected to show little or no change from 2014 to 2024. Employment growth will vary by specialty and industry. As with many manufacturing jobs, employers often report difficulty finding qualified workers. Therefore, job opportunities should be very good for those with painting experience.

This occupation supported 149,700 jobs in 2012 and 169,500 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 13.2%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 3.7% in 2022 to 155,200 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 150,700, compared with an observed value of 169,500, 12.5% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 1.5% in 2024 to 171,700 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 156,200 jobs for 2024, 9.0% lower than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation.