Wellhead pumpers

Operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce flow of oil or gas from wells in oil field.

AI Resistance Index 65 of 99

More resilient than most: more resilient than 65% 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 -2.0% 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): $69,960
Job growth to 2035: -2.0%
Openings a year: 1,700
People doing it (2025): 18,400
Usual route in: High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training

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Where people already use AI for this work

Test performance of equipment or systems
Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
Set up equipment

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Operate pumping systems or equipment
Monitor equipment operation
Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment

What the work looks like

Monitor pumps and flow lines for gas and fluid leaks.
Gauge oil and gas production.
Start compressor engines and divert oil from storage tanks into compressor units and auxiliary equipment to recover natural gas from oil.
Monitor control panels during pumping operations to ensure that materials are being pumped at the correct pressure, density, rate, and concentration.
Operate engines and pumps to shut off wells according to production schedules, and to switch flow of oil into storage tanks.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as automation, including use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, in the oil fields will boost labor productivity and reduce staff requirements.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Hoist and winch operatorsHuman edge, steady, Index 69, +0.2%
Pump operators, except wellhead pumpersHuman edge, growing, Index 79, +4.3%
Automotive and watercraft service attendantsHuman edge, growing, Index 92, +3.8%
Transportation workers, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.0%

Also known as: Field Operator, Lease Operator, Pumper, Well Tender, Lease Attendant, Oilfield Plant Operator, Well Field Technician, Well Head Pumper.

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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.