Pile driver operators

Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures such as buildings, bridges, and piers.

AI Resistance Index 80 of 99

Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 80% 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 -5.7% by 2035, expected to shrink. 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): $73,300
Job growth to 2035: -5.7%
Openings a year: 200
People doing it (2025): 2,300
Usual route in: High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training

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Where people already use AI for this work

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Operate construction or excavation equipment
Operate lifting or moving equipment
Position materials or components for assembly

What the work looks like

Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.
Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.
Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
Clean, lubricate, and refill equipment.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as improved equipment and technology allow operators to drive piles more quickly.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Continuous mining machine operatorsHuman edge, steady, Index 95, +3.2%
Motorboat mechanics and service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +4.9%
Solar photovoltaic installersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +36.5%
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operatorsHuman edge, steady, Index 83, +1.5%

Also known as: Pile Driver, Pile Driver Operator, Pile Driving 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.