Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, steady
Drywall and ceiling tile installers
Apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. Materials may be of decorative quality. Includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal, or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings to provide support base for plaster, fireproofing, or acoustical material.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 75% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.5% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on physical dexterity and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $58,930
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.5%
- Openings a year
- 6,600
- People doing it (2025)
- 102,000
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Build structures
- Cut materials
- Position materials or components for assembly
What the work looks like
- Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
- Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
- Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
- Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary.
- Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Extraction workers, all otherHuman edge, steady, Index 89, +3.4%
- Construction laborersHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +7.3%
- Cement masons and concrete finishersHuman edge, steady, Index 78, +1.6%
- Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tendersHuman edge, growing, Index 90, +5.9%
Also known as: Drywall Finisher, Drywall Hanger, Drywall Installer, Drywall Mechanic, Ceiling Installer, Installer, Metal Framer, Metal Stud Framer.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.