Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, growing
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 89% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +4.6% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $59,850
- Job growth to 2035
- +4.6%
- Openings a year
- 39,200
- People doing it (2025)
- 490,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Set up equipment
- Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Operate construction or excavation equipment
- Position tools or equipment
- Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance
What the work looks like
- Learn and follow safety regulations.
- Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
- Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
- Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
- Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
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Also known as: Equipment Operator (EO), Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO), Machine Operator, Operating Engineer, Back Hoe Operator, Engineering Equipment Operator, Forklift Operator, Hot Mix Asphalt Operator.
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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.