Career Explorer Construction and trades
Human edge, steady
Service unit operators, oil and gas
Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 82% 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 +1.1% by 2035, slower than average. 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)
- $58,160
- Job growth to 2035
- +1.1%
- Openings a year
- 3,800
- People doing it (2025)
- 43,800
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
- Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
- Implement procedures or processes
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment
- Operate lifting or moving equipment
- Maintain tools or equipment
What the work looks like
- Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools.
- Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs.
- Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions.
- Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes.
- Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as technological advancements in robotics, automation, and digital solutions boost labor productivity in oil and gas operations.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Derrick operators, oil and gasHuman edge, steady, Index 87, +1.6%
- Helpers--extraction workersHuman edge, steady, Index 92, +1.7%
- MillwrightsHuman edge, steady, Index 86, +0.9%
- RoofersHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +5.3%
Also known as: Pulling Unit Operator, Rig Operator, Service Operator, Service Rig Operator, Reverse Unit Operator, Tool Pusher, Well Servicing Rig Operator, Wireline 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.