Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, steady
Pipelayers
Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Perform any combination of the following tasks: grade trenches or culverts, position pipe, or seal joints.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 54% 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 -3.1% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $49,000
- Job growth to 2035
- -3.1%
- Openings a year
- 2,100
- People doing it (2025)
- 33,200
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Maintain facilities or equipment
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Perform general construction or extraction activities
- Install plumbing or piping equipment or systems
- Position tools or equipment
What the work looks like
- Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.
- Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools.
- Cut pipes to required lengths.
- Install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels.
- Cover pipes with earth or other materials.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Aircraft service attendantsHuman edge, growing, Index 91, +5.6%
- Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operatorsHuman edge, steady, Index 58, -0.9%
- Hoist and winch operatorsHuman edge, steady, Index 69, +0.2%
- Drywall and ceiling tile installersHuman edge, steady, Index 75, +2.5%
Also known as: Pipelayer, Tailman.
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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.