← All 785 jobsFile 47-2073
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 4.6% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #463 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +4.6% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $59,850 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 489,500 in the US, with about 39,200 openings a year
The work, 19 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Operate construction or excavation equipment22%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position tools or equipment14%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI helps with this: Set up equipment6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 511 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Signal others to coordinate work activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Dispose of waste or debris3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 222 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Perform general construction or extraction activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Explain regulations, policies, or procedures3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 84 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate pumping systems or equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Test sites or materials for environmental hazards1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 105 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 39,200 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 50% of the workContinuous Mining Machine Operators7% AI does, against 12% here+3.2% by 2035 · $61,810 · No formal credential
- Shares 49% of the workEarth Drillers3% AI does, against 12% here+3.6% by 2035 · $60,190 · High school diploma
- Shares 37% of the workExplosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters5% AI does, against 12% here0% by 2035 · $61,390 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.10, higher than 33% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 47-2073 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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