AI Career Radar

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

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.

AI exposure20 / 100Low exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation8
Freedom to set tasks79
Repeating the same tasks35
$59,850Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+4.6%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (faster than average)BLS Employment Projections
50Skill durability (fragile)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Monitoring
63
53
Active Listening
63
50
Speaking
63
47
Critical Thinking
63
47
Judgment and Decision Making
63
47
Active Learning
62
47
Coordination
62
47
Complex Problem Solving
62
47
Time Management
61
50
Reading Comprehension
61
47
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Social Perceptiveness
60
44
Writing
60
25
Instructing
58
35
Learning Strategies
58
28
Systems Analysis
57
25
Service Orientation
56
31
Systems Evaluation
56
25
Persuasion
54
31
Mathematics
53
25
Negotiation
52
25
Science
52
13
Management of Personnel Resources
50
28
Operations Analysis
49
19
Installation
48
9
Equipment Maintenance
47
56
Troubleshooting
47
50
Quality Control Analysis
47
47
Equipment Selection
47
35
Management of Material Resources
47
22
Technology Design
47
19
Management of Financial Resources
47
19
Operations Monitoring
46
56
Repairing
46
47
Programming
45
3
Operation and Control
43
78

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
27%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Monitoring

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$95,320
10-yr growth
+10.3%
Skill gap
17%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Installation, Systems Analysis, Active Listening, Troubleshooting

77/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$129,180
10-yr growth
+21%
Skill gap
28%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Writing, Systems Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking

#5Dental HygienistsHealthcare
77/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$98,100
10-yr growth
+8%
Skill gap
17%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Writing, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Persuasion

77/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$96,590
10-yr growth
+13.9%
Skill gap
22%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Writing, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.