Explore Careers - Job Market Report

Glass Forming and Finishing Machine Operators and Glass Cutters (NOC 9413)

Hamilton--Niagara Peninsula Region

Additional information on Description, Titles, Duties and Related Occupations

Description | Titles | Duties | Related Occupations

Machine operators in this unit group operate multi-function process control machinery or single function machines to melt, form, cut or finish flat glass, glassware, bottles, and other glass products. Glass cutters cut flat glass of various thicknesses to specified sizes and shapes by hand. They are employed by glass and glass products manufacturing companies.

Included Job Titles

bottle machine operator, float operator – glass forming, glass beveller, glass cutter, hand, glass edger, glass moulder, glass-blowing machine operator, glass-finishing machine operator, glass-pressing machine operator, mirror maker.

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Job Duties

Glass process control operators perform some or all of the following duties:

Operate multi-function process control machinery through control panels, computer terminals or other control systems to mix and melt raw materials; heat, anneal, temper or form float glass or glass products; and coat glass with silver or other metals and materials
Observe gauges, computer printouts and video monitors to verify specified processing conditions and make adjustments as necessary
Maintain shift log of production and other data
May operate process control machinery to cut glass or assemble glass window units
May clean and maintain process machinery
May ensure adequate levels of oil, soap, talc or other materials used in machine production of glass.

Glass forming machine operators perform some or all of the following duties:

Set up and adjust automatic glass feeding, flowing and forming machines
Operate and maintain machines that press or blow molten glass in moulds to form or shape containers, such as bottles, jars and drinking glasses
Operate electric kilns that heat glass sheets and mould to the shape and curve of metal jigs
Spray or swab moulds with oil solutions to prevent adhesion of glass
Weigh, measure and check production samples to assess conformance to specifications using scales and gauges and by visual verification.

Glass finishing machine operators perform some or all of the following duties:

Set up and adjust glass and glass-product finishing machines
Operate and maintain finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash or polish glass or glass products
Visually inspect products for quality
Record manufacturing information such as quantity, size and type of goods produced.

Glass cutters perform some or all of the following duties:

Jig and measure and mark glass or place pattern on or under glass for cutting
Examine and mark defective glass to obtain best cut
Cut glass along marked outlines or around pattern using hand tools
Smooth rough edges using belt sander or smoothing wheels
Set up, operate and adjust computerized or robotic glass cutting equipment
Monitor process for product quality.

Related Occupations

Additional information on included Cities in Region and Service Canada Offices

Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

Included Cities in this region

Brantford, Burlington, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, Stoney Creek, Thorold, Welland, Dundas, Dunnville, Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Simcoe, Bay Beach, Beamsville, Carlisle, Crescent Beach, Crescent Park, Crystal Beach, Delhi, Flamboro, Fort Erie Beach, Fort Erie North, Mississauga Beach, Mulgrave, Oakhill Forest, Old Fort Erie, Point Abino, Port Dover, Ridgeway, Ridgewood, Rose Hill Estates, Shand's Corner, Thunder Bay, Waterford, Wavecrest, Waverly Beach, Woodhouse Acres

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Service Canada Offices

View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Glass Forming and Finishing Machine Operators and Glass Cutters in Hamilton--Niagara Peninsula Region

The future forecast and current conditions for an occupation can vary based on location or due to changes in the economy, technology, or demand for a product or service.

National Outlook – 10-Year Projection (2011-2020)

This section provides labour demand and labour supply projections for this occupation over the 2011-2020 period.

Note: The tables, graphs and middle paragraph shown under this section display updated 2011-2020 projection results. The remaining narrative text (2009-2018 projections) will be updated shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The data in the following table are derived from HRSDC’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS). COPS uses a variety of models to produce a detailed 10-year labour market projection per broad skill level and per occupation at the national level, which focuses on the trends of labour supply and labour demand over the next ten years.

This occupation (Glass Forming and Finishing Machine Operators and Glass Cutters) is part of a larger occupational group called Machine Operators and Related Workers in Metal and Mineral Products Processing (NOC 941).

Table on the demographic profile for your chosen occupation at the national level.
Occupations in this group	Machine Operators, Mineral and Metal Processing (9411) Foundry Workers (9412) Glass Forming and Finishing Machine Operators and Glass Cutters (9413) Concrete, Clay and Stone Forming Operators (9414) Inspectors and Testers, Mineral and Metal Processing (9415)
Employment (non-student) in 2010	24,351
Median Age of workers in 2010	42
Average Retirement Age in 2010	63

Occupation Projection for Canada

Over the 2008-2010 period, this occupation experienced a significant drop in employment while its unemployment rate, one of the highest for the 140 occupations, increased more quickly than the average to reach 18% in 2010. The average hourly wage for this occupation stagnated over this period. The average hourly wage continued to be the highest of the processing and manufacturing machine operators and assemblers occupations (NOCs 94 and 95). According to key labour market indicators, the number of job seekers was more than sufficient to fill the job openings in this occupation.

Over the 2011-2020 period, an occupation will be in excess demand (a shortage of workers) if the projected number of job openings is significantly greater than the projected number of job seekers. An occupation will be in excess supply (a surplus of workers) if the projected number of job openings is smaller than the projected number of job seekers. For Machine Operators And Related Workers In Metal And Mineral Products Processing, over the 2011-2020 period, job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 10,600 and 12,857 job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility) are expected to be available to fill the job openings.

Based on projections and considering that there was surplus labour supply in this occupation, it is expected that labour supply will exceed labour demand over the projection period. In other words, the number of job seekers will be greater than the number of job openings. Retirements will account for the majority of job openings. The retirement rate in this occupation will be on par with the average for all occupations. Employment growth will be very weak over the coming years, meaning that expansion demand will contribute very little in terms of job openings. Despite everything, this will be an improvement over the ten years prior to the projection period when employment dropped. During this period, job losses in this occupation were observed, especially between 2005 and 2008, as a result of the difficulties in the mineral manufacturing industry and, more specifically, in the iron, steel and aluminum industries. Several metal processing plants closed their doors or laid off workers during this period. The closure of the least productive plants as well as the resuming of economic activity in the United States over the coming years will enable employment to stabilize in these sectors. With regard to labour supply, job seekers will come from both the school system and other occupations. Workers in other occupations will be attracted to this occupation by the highly competitive wages in comparison to other occupations that do not generally require a post-secondary education.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.

Table of job opening projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category	Openings	%
Expansion Demand	3,397	32%
Retirements	5,989	56%
Other Replacement Demand	663	6%
Emigration	551	5%
Projected Job Openings	10,600	100%

Table of job seeker projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category	Seekers	%
School Leavers	5,165	40%
Immigration	2,490	19%
Other	5,202	40%
Projected Job Seekers	12,857	100%

[ Source: Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) ]

In which industry or sector do people in this occupation find jobs in Canada?

This table shows the industry and sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.

This table shows the industry sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.
Industry / Sector	%
Manufacturing	91.00
Retail trade	2.30
Wholesale trade	2.30

[ Source: 2006 Census - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What percentage of people in this occupation are self-employed?

The graph displays the percentage of people in this occupation who are “self-employed”, according to the 2006 Census, in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

As shown in the graph, according to the 2006 Census, 4% of people in this occupation were self-employed, while the average for all occupations was 12%.

The data from the Labour Force Survey (2009) regarding self-employment for this group are not sufficiently reliable to be published.

[ Source: Labour Force Survey - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What percentage of people in this occupation are members of a union?

This occupation (Glass Forming and Finishing Machine Operators and Glass Cutters) is part of a larger group called Machine Operators and Related Workers in Metal and Mineral Products Processing (NOC 941). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), the unionization rate for this group was 49%, while the unionization rate for all occupations was 31%.