Crane and Tower Operators
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 53-7021.00
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-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
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, 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
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.18
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-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
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
Show 8 hidden tasks11 rated tasks · 3 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (27.3%)
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
- 1 rated task is not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; its score is 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
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.O*NET Task ID 10775 | 1.0 |
Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.O*NET Task ID 10767 | 0.5 |
Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.O*NET Task ID 10774 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (11)
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 |
|---|---|
| Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload. | Core |
| Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads. | Core |
| Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed. | Core |
| Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary. | Core |
| Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage. | Core |
| Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes. | Core |
| Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment. | Core |
| Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability. | Core |
| Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions. | Supplemental |
| Direct truck drivers backing vehicles into loading bays and cover, uncover, or secure loads for delivery. | Supplemental |
| Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets. | Supplemental |
0.92/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage. | E0 none |
| Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment. | E2 structured facilities |
| Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records. | E2 structured facilities |
| Direct truck drivers backing vehicles into loading bays and cover, uncover, or secure loads for delivery. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 43K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 45K
- Change (2025–35)
- +3.8%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $68,080
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
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 code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87301 | 크레인 운전원 | Same scope | confirmed |
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 8343Crane, hoist and related plant operators
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Crane, hoist and related plant operators operate and monitor stationary and mobile cranes and other hoisting equipment.
Tasks
- (a) operating and monitoring stationary or mobile cranes by raising and lowering jibs and booms, to lift, move, position or place equipment and materials;
- (b) operating and monitoring equipment for hoisting, lowering or raising workers and materials on construction sites or in mines;
- (c) operating and monitoring ski-lifts and similar equipment;
- (d) operating and monitoring machinery used to haul ferry or barge with goods, passengers and vehicles across short stretches of water;
- (e) operating and monitoring machinery to open and close bridge for the passage of road and water traffic;
- (f) operating and monitoring cranes equipped with dredging attachments to dredge waterways and other areas;
- (g) operating cranes mounted on boats or barges to lift, move and place equipment and materials.
Example occupations
Cable car operator · Chair-lift operator · Crane operator · Funicular driver · Hoist operator · Mine cage operator · Ski-lift 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.
- container crane operatorESCO 8343.2This occupation is broader
Container crane operators operate electrically powered cranes equipped with cantilevers on which hoisting gear is supported to load or unload container cargo. They move towers in position alongside vessel and lower cantilevers over the deck or hold of a vessel. They lift and move container along the cantilever and position the container on the dock, on the vessel deck or in the hold.
- mobile crane operatorESCO 8343.3This occupation is broader
Mobile crane operators work with a variety of crane types that can be moved easily around the road, rail and water. Mobile cranes are often mounted on trucks.
- production plant crane operatorESCO 8343.4This occupation is broader
Production plant crane operators operate the basic technologic cranes during the production process at the given unit by lifting and moving loads (bales, containers, buckets and other facilities) with raw and other materials.
- riggerESCO 7215.2This occupation is broader
Riggers specialise in the lifting of heavy objects, often helped by a crane or derrick. They work with crane operators to attach and detach crane loads. They may also install the heavy object in place.
- tower crane operatorESCO 8343.5This occupation is broader
Tower crane operators work with tower cranes, tall balance cranes consisting of a horizontal jib mounted on a vertical mast, along with the necessary motors and lifting hook attached to the jib. Operators control the crane from within a control cabin, or use radio control.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
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 code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| F1301 | Grutier / Grutière | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| N1104 | Pontier / Pontière | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| N1108 | Conducteur / Conductrice de grue mobile | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| N1111 | Conducteur / Conductrice de pont roulant | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| N3208 | Grutier Pontier / Grutière pontière portuaire | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
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 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8332 | Operadores de grúas, montacargas y de maquinaria similar de movimiento de materiales | This occupation is narrower |
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 code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 52532 | Kranführer/innen, Aufzugsmaschinisten und Bediener/innen verwandter Hebeeinrichtungen - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
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 code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 643 | クレーン・ウインチ運転従事者 | This occupation is narrower |
| 645 | 建設・さく井機械運転従事者 | Related, not a match |
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