As of June 2026, Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators has an AI-exposure score of 41/100 (Moderate exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.

AI Exposure Score for

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

41/100
Moderate exposure
LowModerateElevatedHighVery High

More exposed than 12% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$59,850. About 41,900 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.

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How you compare to similar Construction roles

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (you)
41
Fence Erectors
41
Helpers--Electricians
41
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
41
Segmental Pavers
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Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
41
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Your tasks, by AI exposure

Automatable

No automatable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as durable (70%).

Augmentable
  • Keep records of material or equipment usage or problems encountered.
  • Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
  • Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.
  • Connect hydraulic hoses, belts, mechanical linkages, or power takeoff shafts to tractors.
  • Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.
  • Select and fasten bulldozer blades or other attachments to tractors, using hitches.
Durable
  • Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
  • Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
  • Learn and follow safety regulations.
  • Operate tractors or bulldozers to perform such tasks as clearing land, mixing sludge, trimming backfills, or building roadways or parking lots.
  • Operate equipment to demolish or remove debris or to remove snow from streets, roads, or parking lots.
  • Operate loaders to pull out stumps, rip asphalt or concrete, rough-grade properties, bury refuse, or perform general cleanup.
  • Drive and maneuver equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation, or rocks or to distribute and level earth or terrain.
  • Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
  • Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
  • Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
  • Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
  • Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
  • Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.
  • Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.

Safer adjacent roles

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
80% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$57,430
41
Hoist and Winch Operators
72% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$56,450
43
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
64% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$65,510
47
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
56% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$46,420
46
Continuous Mining Machine Operators
48% skills overlap · Low exposure · ~US$61,810
34
Crane and Tower Operators
40% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$68,080
46
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
40% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$53,340
42
Pile Driver Operators
40% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$73,300
43

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Important: This is an estimate of AI exposure, not a prediction that your job will disappear. It is designed to help you understand how your role may change and improve your career resilience.

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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators — median pay by US state (BLS OEWS, USD)

California: US$87,160New York: US$80,980Texas: US$50,460

Median annual wage, in USD. US national: US$59,850. More states are being added.

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