AI Career Radar

Crane and Tower Operators

Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.

AI exposure45 / 100Moderate 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 automation31
Freedom to set tasks62
Repeating the same tasks69
$68,080Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+3.8%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (about 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
Critical Thinking
63
56
Active Listening
63
53
Monitoring
63
53
Speaking
63
50
Judgment and Decision Making
63
50
Active Learning
62
47
Complex Problem Solving
62
47
Coordination
62
44
Reading Comprehension
61
50
Time Management
61
50
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
41
Social Perceptiveness
60
38
Learning Strategies
58
31
Instructing
58
31
Systems Analysis
57
16
Service Orientation
56
28
Systems Evaluation
56
28
Persuasion
54
31
Mathematics
53
41
Negotiation
52
28
Science
52
3
Management of Personnel Resources
50
35
Operations Analysis
49
22
Installation
48
16
Equipment Maintenance
47
47
Troubleshooting
47
47
Quality Control Analysis
47
41
Equipment Selection
47
25
Management of Material Resources
47
16
Management of Financial Resources
47
13
Technology Design
47
9
Operations Monitoring
46
69
Repairing
46
47
Programming
45
0
Operation and Control
43
72

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.

82/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$120,230
10-yr growth
+34.6%
Skill gap
31%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Systems Analysis, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning

79/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
24%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Active Listening

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

Skills to build: Systems Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving

#4Dental HygienistsHealthcare
76/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$98,100
10-yr growth
+8%
Skill gap
17%
Retraining
Moderate

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

75/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$96,590
10-yr growth
+13.9%
Skill gap
22%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Speaking

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Crane and Tower 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.