← All 785 jobsFile 51-8013
Power Plant Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 5.1% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- Joint #614 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -5.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $102,040 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 29,800 in the US, with about 2,300 openings a year
The work, 30 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 energy production or distribution equipment28%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate pumping systems or equipment8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment7%
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: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Diagnose system or equipment problems2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 245 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Set up equipment1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 511 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
AI helps with this: Determine resource needs of projects or operations1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,590 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate lifting or moving equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes1%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,570 conversations, and it got them there 96% of the time.
Still yours: Evaluate production inputs or outputs1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate construction or excavation equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect samples of products or materials1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Build structures1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Cut materials1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products1%
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 95 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 2,300 openings a year as people 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 workPlant and System Operators0% AI does, against 5% here+2.3% by 2035 · $62,470 · High school diploma
- Shares 45% of the workCooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 5% here+5.9% by 2035 · $41,330 · High school diploma
- Shares 44% of the workCleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 5% here+3.4% by 2035 · $43,530 · 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 0.07, higher than 18% 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, 51-8013 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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