Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, steady
Hazardous materials removal workers
Identify, remove, pack, transport, or dispose of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid, radioactive materials, or contaminated soil. Specialized training and certification in hazardous materials handling or a confined entry permit are generally required. May operate earth-moving equipment or trucks.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 72% 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 +1.5% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $49,450
- Job growth to 2035
- +1.5%
- Openings a year
- 4,300
- People doing it (2025)
- 52,700
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Implement procedures or processes
- Prepare mixtures or solutions
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Prepare industrial materials for processing or use
- Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
- Operate lifting or moving equipment
What the work looks like
- Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.
- Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.
- Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.
- Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.
- Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as remediation activities decrease with less stable funding.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operatorsHuman edge, steady, Index 83, +1.5%
- Drywall and ceiling tile installersHuman edge, steady, Index 75, +2.5%
- Solar photovoltaic installersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +36.5%
- Extraction workers, all otherHuman edge, steady, Index 89, +3.4%
Also known as: Abatement Worker, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Worker, Hazmat Technician (Hazardous Materials Technician), Clandestine Laboratory Responder (Clan Lab Responder), D and D Operator (Decontaminate and Decommissioning Operator), D and D Operator (Decontamination and Decommissioning Operator), Mold Damage Technician (Mold Damage Tech).
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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.