As of July 2026,
Dredge Operators has an AI-exposure score of 39/100
(Low exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index. This is an estimate of task
exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Score inputs for this role:
This role starts from O*NET 29.1 occupational descriptors and is empirically grounded by Penn/OpenAI GPTs are GPTs study, Felten, Raj and Seamans AIOE index. BLS labor-market figures are separate context, not score inputs.
Dredge Operators
More exposed than 8% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$49,640. About 100 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 - growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) - your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How this role compares to similar Transportation roles
What this role usually involves
Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
Broad guidance for this preparation level; exact requirements vary by role and employer.
Source: O*NET 29.1 exact occupation - Dredge Operators, SOC 53-7031.00. Context describes the role; the AI-exposure score remains a separate task-exposure estimate.
Dredge Operators tasks, by AI exposure
No automatable tasks identified for this role - its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (50%).
- Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
- Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
- Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
- Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
We analyzed all 6 Dredge Operators tasks - 3 augmentable and 3 durable. The full task map - every task with exactly what to do about each - is in your Career Report.
Your report unlocks three concrete artifacts
Every task scored with what to automate, augment, or protect.
Related roles with exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability. Lower-exposure options appear only when the data supports them.
A keepable roadmap plus resume and LinkedIn repositioning.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate - not generic advice.
Adjacent career paths
This role is already among lower-exposure work. The adjacent paths below are shown for opportunity and skill transfer, not as lower-exposure alternatives.
Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it; adjacent paths with honest exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability; a skill-gap map; a 30/60/90-day roadmap; Agent Reality Check; plus a résumé and LinkedIn rewrite and professional PDF.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate.
Workers with AI skills earn a roughly 62% wage premium - adapting pays. - PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2026
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