Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, growing
Paperhangers
Cover interior walls or ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, or attach advertising posters on surfaces such as walls and billboards. May remove old materials or prepare surfaces to be papered.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 86% 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 +4.3% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on 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)
- $52,140
- Job growth to 2035
- +4.3%
- Openings a year
- 200
- People doing it (2025)
- 2,300
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then long on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Apply decorative finishes
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Determine resource needs of projects or operations
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Perform general construction or extraction activities
- Cut materials
- Inspect completed work or finished products
What the work looks like
- Staple or tack advertising posters onto fences, walls, billboards, or poles.
- Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
- Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams.
- Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns.
- Smooth rough spots on walls and ceilings, using sandpaper.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Rock splitters, quarryHuman edge, growing, Index 92, +5.8%
- Tire repairers and changersHuman edge, steady, Index 91, +3.4%
- Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleanersHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +7.8%
- Fence erectorsHuman edge, growing, Index 91, +5.6%
Also known as: Bill Poster, Billposter, Installer, Paper Hanger, Bill Board Poster, Hanger, Vinyl Hanger, Wall Covering Installer.
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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.