Glass-blower
Snapshot
Glass-blowers design, produce and decorate glass artefacts such as stained glass windows, mirrors and architectural glass. Some glass-blowers specialise in restoring, renovating and repairing original pieces. They may also work as scientific glass-blowers, designing and repairing laboratory glass.
As a glass-blower, your days will involve shaping and manipulating molten glass using a variety of techniques, including blowing, shaping with tools, and applying decorative elements. You might be creating intricate stained-glass windows, elegant mirrors, architectural glass components, or even specialized laboratory glassware. Some glass-blowers focus on restoration, carefully repairing and preserving historical glass pieces. The work requires a keen eye for detail, excellent hand-eye coordination, and a strong understanding of glass properties and working temperatures.
- • Melting and gathering glass from furnaces or ovens.
- • Blowing air into molten glass to create desired shapes and forms.
- • Using tools like jacks, blocks, and tweezers to shape and refine the glass.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Handicraft and printing workers — 77 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Portugal.
Longest-running shortage: Slovenia, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Australia, Malta)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $46,170 2025-05 | +6.2% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
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Future Outlook for glass-blower
The outlook for glass-blower reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could glass-blower change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
Most tasks here are AI-assistable rather than purely human-led.
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- create artwork
- maintain an artistic portfolio
- design stained glass
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Arts, Entertainment, & Design
A typical day as a glass-blower
09 09:00 · Morning monitor art scene developments
10 10:30 · Mid-morning create artwork
12 12:00 · Midday cut glass
14 14:00 · Afternoon design objects to be crafted
15 15:30 · Late afternoon design stained glass
17 17:00 · Wrap-up maintain an artistic portfolio
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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create artwork
Cut, shape, fit, join, mould, or otherwise manipulate materials in an attempt to create a selected artwork-be the technical processes not mastered by the artist or used as a specialist.
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maintain an artistic portfolio
Maintain portfolios of artistic work to show styles, interests, abilities and realisations.
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select artistic materials to create artworks
Select artistic materials based on strength, colour, texture, balance, weight, size, and other characteristics that should guarantee the feasibility of the artistic creation regarding the expected shape, color, etc.- even though the result might vary from it. Artistic materials such as paint, ink, water colours, charcoal, oil, or computer software can be used as much as garbage, living products (fruits, etc) and any kind of material depending on the creative project.
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tend kiln for glass painting
Tend kilns which are used to affix paint on glass. They may tend gas or electric kilns.
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maintain glass thickness
Maintain the specified thickness of glass by adjusting the speed of rolls on the kiln.
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design stained glass
Create sketches and designs for stained glass objects, e.g. windows.
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design objects to be crafted
Sketch, draw or design sketches and drawings from memory, live models, manufactured products or reference materials in the process of crafting and sculpting.
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study artistic techniques
Study a variety of artistic techniques and learn how to apply them in concrete artistic projects.
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study artworks
Study styles, techniques, colours, textures, and materials used in works of art.
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cut glass
Use glass cutting tools or diamond blades to cut pieces out of glass plates, including mirrors.
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manipulate glass
Manipulate the properties, shape and size of glass.
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monitor art scene developments
Monitor artistic events, trends, and other developments. Read recent art publications in order to develop ideas and to keep in touch with relevant art world activities.
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observe glass under heat
Observe the characteristics of the glass already set into the kiln so that cracking, warping or blistering is avoided.
intellectual property law
The regulations that govern the set of rights protecting products of the intellect from unlawful infringement.
labour legislation
Legislation, on a national or international level, that governs labour conditions in various fields between labour parties such as the government, employees, employers, and trade unions.
ceramics glazes
The characteristics, compounds and application of different glaze types such as raw or frit glazes.
glass coatings
Coatings used to protect glass from damage, to influence its behaviour when damaged, to keep harmful UV rays out, and others. Their usage cases, advantages and disadvantages and price points.
- intellectual property law
- labour legislation
- ceramics glazes
- glass coatings
Path to become a glass-blower
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
173 programmes in 22 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 40 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Bachelor of Arts in Ceramics and Glass
National College of Art and Design · Ireland
Hämeen ammattikorkeakoulu · Finland
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) · the United States
These are 6 of 213.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 3. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
- 4. Course information from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), Quality and Qualifications Ireland
- 5. Source: Study with New Zealand (studywithnewzealand.govt.nz), Education New Zealand. Copyright in the material is owned by Education New Zealand (All content (c) Education New Zealand). Listings are provided by the education providers, are for information and promotional purposes only, and are not endorsed by Education New Zealand; each provider is responsible for its own content.
- 6. Source: MIT OpenCourseWare (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does glass-blower fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of training or apprenticeship is typically required to become a glass-blower?
Are there different specializations within the field of glass-blowing?
What are the working conditions like for a glass-blower?
Is there a shortage of Glass-Blower in Europe?
How much does Glass-Blower pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data