← All 785 jobsFile 47-5012
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 0.8% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- Joint #611 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +0.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $67,890 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 12,700 in the US, with about 1,100 openings a year
The work, 21 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: Maintain tools or equipment14%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate lifting or moving equipment10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate construction or excavation equipment7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Install commercial or production equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assess characteristics of land or property5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others on operational or work procedures5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 348 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct construction or extraction activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects4%
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.
AI helps with this: Set up equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 511 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate pumping systems or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Prepare mixtures or solutions4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 714 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
Still yours: Collect environmental or biological samples3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Install plumbing or piping equipment or systems2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position tools or equipment2%
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.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 101 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,100 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 34% of the workRail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators0% AI does, against 5% here+1.5% by 2035 · $70,070 · High school diploma
- Shares 30% of the workPlant and System Operators0% AI does, against 5% here+2.3% by 2035 · $62,470 · High school diploma
- Shares 43% of the workRoustabouts, Oil and Gas0% AI does, against 5% here+3.6% by 2035 · $46,960 · No formal credential
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 0.06, higher than 15% 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, 47-5012 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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