Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between saw operators and laser operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a laser operator has an average salary of $34,813, which is higher than the $32,319 average annual salary of a saw operator.
The top three skills for a saw operator include tape measure, hand tools and basic math. The most important skills for a laser operator are laser cutting, calipers, and laser machine.
| Saw Operator | Laser Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,319 | $34,813 |
| Hourly rate | $15.54 | $16.74 |
| Growth rate | 3% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 58,465 | 56,479 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 56% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Saw operators are responsible for setting up and operating power saws to slot, cut, and trim metallic and non-metallic materials. They are the ones who choose and install blades on machinery using hand-tools and verify dimensions of finished material using measuring devices. They may perform additional tasks such as loading saws and monitoring sawing operations, and replacing damaged or worn saw blades. Saw operators are also responsible for recording data on production reports and assisting staff with the maintenance and repair of saw equipment.
A Laser Operator is responsible for operating the machine and devices used for laser purposes. They do the engraving and cutting of the metal or plastic parts of the laser device. They set up and adjust the machine lens to meet the correct specification. They also ensure that there will be no issues before and after operating the laser device by routinely checking the equipment. They also need to monitor and do an inventory of instruments and tools required if there are operations or whenever they are required.
Saw operators and laser operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Saw Operator | Laser Operator | |
| Average salary | $32,319 | $34,813 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $38,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, OR | Oregon City, OR |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Micro Metals Inc. | Kloeckner Metals |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between a saw operator and a laser operator in terms of educational background:
| Saw Operator | Laser Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 56% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between saw operators' and laser operators' demographics:
| Saw Operator | Laser Operator | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 1.1% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |