Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Construction and Extraction Occupations
O*NET-SOC code
47-2073.00

Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.

  • Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08

    Low· relative

    LowFour relative bandsVery high

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)

    831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band

    Source dataset (XLSX download)

  • Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03

    0.000

    0.000Range of values carried here0.745
    Scale, basis and source

    Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Mapped onto O*NET tasks

    Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value

    Source dataset (CSV download)

  • Data source: ILOPublished: 2025

    0.13

    0.09Range of values carried here0.70

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published

    Source dataset (PDF download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

Task-level exposure

Exposed tasks only

28 rated tasks · 2 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (7.1%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

  • Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
  • 2 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
Source
OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release
gh-main-0471612
License
MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Task (O*NET 20.1)Claude.aiRaw / share %
Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.

47-2073.00

0.0030100.0
Not observed on any surface — 28 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states.
Learn and follow safety regulations.
—0
Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
—0
Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.
—0
Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
—0
Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
—0
Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
—0
Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
—0
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.
—0
Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
—0
Operate tractors or bulldozers to perform such tasks as clearing land, mixing sludge, trimming backfills, or building roadways or parking lots.
—0
Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
—0
Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
—0
Connect hydraulic hoses, belts, mechanical linkages, or power takeoff shafts to tractors.
—0
Operate loaders to pull out stumps, rip asphalt or concrete, rough-grade properties, bury refuse, or perform general cleanup.
—0
Select and fasten bulldozer blades or other attachments to tractors, using hitches.
—0
Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
—0
Push other equipment when extra traction or assistance is required.
—0
Keep records of material or equipment usage or problems encountered.
—0
Operate equipment to demolish or remove debris or to remove snow from streets, roads, or parking lots.
—0
Test atmosphere for adequate oxygen or explosive conditions when working in confined spaces.
—0
Operate compactors, scrapers, or rollers to level, compact, or cover refuse at disposal grounds.
—0
Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.
—0
Operate road watering, oiling, or rolling equipment, or street sealing equipment, such as chip spreaders.
—0
Perform specialized work, using equipment such as pile drivers, dredging rigs, drillers, or concrete pumpers.
—0
Drive tractor-trailer trucks to move equipment from site to site.
—0
Turn valves to control air or water output of compressors or pumps.
—0
Operate conveyors to remove grit and debris from digesters.
—0
Compile cost estimates for jobs.
—0

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (26)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)Type
Learn and follow safety regulations.Core
Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.Core
Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.Core
Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.Core
Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.Core
Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.Core
Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.Core
Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.Core
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.Core
Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.Core
Operate tractors or bulldozers to perform such tasks as clearing land, mixing sludge, trimming backfills, or building roadways or parking lots.Core
Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.Core
Connect hydraulic hoses, belts, mechanical linkages, or power takeoff shafts to tractors.Core
Operate loaders to pull out stumps, rip asphalt or concrete, rough-grade properties, bury refuse, or perform general cleanup.Core
Select and fasten bulldozer blades or other attachments to tractors, using hitches.Core
Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.Core
Keep records of material or equipment usage or problems encountered.Core
Operate equipment to demolish or remove debris or to remove snow from streets, roads, or parking lots.Core
Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.Supplemental
Test atmosphere for adequate oxygen or explosive conditions when working in confined spaces.Supplemental
Operate compactors, scrapers, or rollers to level, compact, or cover refuse at disposal grounds.Supplemental
Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.Supplemental
Operate road watering, oiling, or rolling equipment, or street sealing equipment, such as chip spreaders.Supplemental
Push other equipment when extra traction or assistance is required.Supplemental
Drive tractor-trailer trucks to move equipment from site to site.Supplemental
Turn valves to control air or water output of compressors or pumps.Supplemental

Occupation information

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025
490K
Projected employment, 2035
512K
Change (2025–35)
+4.6%
Median annual wage, 2025
$59,850
Typical education needed for entry
High school diploma or equivalent
lowest $30,890median wage across 825 detailed occupations, BLS EP 2025–35highest $559,030

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO codeKSCO titleRelationStatus
87403도로정지기 운전원This occupation is broaderconfirmed
87406굴삭기 및 불도저 운전원This occupation is broaderconfirmed
89903케이블 및 배관 부설기 조작원Overlapping, not the sameconfirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ILO occupational description

AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.

  • ISCO-08 8342Earthmoving and Related Plant Operators

The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.

Earthmoving and related plant operators operate machines to excavate, grade, level, smooth and compact earth or similar materials.

Tasks

  • (a) operating and monitoring excavating machinery equipped with moveable shovel, grab-bucket or dragline bucket, to excavate and move earth, rock, sand, gravel or similar materials;
  • (b) operating and monitoring machinery for digging trenches for sewers, drainage, water, oil, gas or similar pipelines;
  • (c) operating and monitoring machinery equipped with concave steel blade to move, distribute and level earth, sand, snow and other materials;
  • (d) operating and monitoring equipment to remove sand, gravel and mud from bottom of body of water;
  • (e) operating and monitoring machines for hammering wooden, concrete or steel piles into ground;
  • (f) operating and monitoring power roller to compact and smooth layers of materials in making roads, pavements and similar work;
  • (g) operating and monitoring machines which spread and smooth concrete or bituminous or tar preparations to construct roadways, roads or similar surfaces.

Example occupations

Bulldozer operator · Excavator operator · Front-end loader operator · Pile-driver operator · Road-roller operator · Road surface laying machine operator · Snow-groomer operator

Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

  • bulldozer operatorESCO 8342.1This occupation is broader

    Bulldozer operators operate a heavy vehicle to move earth, rubble or other material over the ground.

  • excavator operatorESCO 8342.3This occupation is broader

    Excavator operators use excavators to dig into earth or other materials to remove it. They are involved in a variety of projects, such as demolition, dredging, and the of digging holes, foundations and trenches.

  • grader operatorESCO 8342.4This occupation is broader

    Grader operators work with a heavy piece of mobile equipment that creates a flat surface by slicing off the top soil with a large blade. Graders usually provide a flat finish on the heavy earthmoving work performed by the scraper and bulldozer operators.

  • road construction workerESCO 8342.6This occupation is broader

    Road construction workers perform road construction on earthworks, substructure works and the pavement section of the road. They cover the compacted soil with one or more layers. Road construction workers usually lay a stabilising bed of sand or clay first before adding asphalt or concrete slabs in order to finish a road.

  • road roller operatorESCO 8342.7This occupation is broader

    Road roller operators work with equipment to compact a variety of materials, such as soil, gravel, concrete or asphalt, in the construction of roads and foundations. They walk behind, or sit on top of the road roller, depending on the type and size, and roll over the area to be compacted.

  • scraper operatorESCO 8342.8This occupation is broader

    Scraper operators work with a mobile piece of heavy equipment that scrapes the top layer of the ground and deposits it in a hopper to be hauled off. They drive the scraper over the surface to be scraped, adapting the speed of the machine to the hardness of the surface.

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME codeROME title (French)Relation
F1302Conducteur / Conductrice d'engins de chantierSame scopeprovisional
F1303Conducteur / Conductrice d'engin de damageThis occupation is broader
F1301Grutier / GrutièreRelated, not a matchprovisional

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 codeCNO-11 title (Spanish)Relation
8331Operadores de maquinaria de movimientos de tierras y equipos similaresSame scopeprovisional
8332Operadores de grúas, montacargas y de maquinaria similar de movimiento de materialesRelated, not a matchprovisional

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB codeKldB title (German)Relation
52522Führer/innen von Erdbewegungs- und verwandten Maschinen - fachlich ausgerichtete TätigkeitenSame scopeprovisional

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO codeJSCO title (Japanese)Relation
645建設・さく井機械運転従事者Same scopeprovisional
643クレーン・ウインチ運転従事者Related, not a matchprovisional

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources