Headline risk
2%
Very Low RiskStructural iron and steel workers
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 6% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 62,700
Employment 2024
65.7K
Projected Change (2024–34)
4.4%
Openings (2024–34)
5.5K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of ironworkers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors. AI use: 0%
- 2. Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place. AI use: 0%
- 3. Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members. AI use: 0%
- 4. Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required. AI use: 88%
- 5. Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels. AI use: 0%
- 6. Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 41.7 · 1.1M employed
Under 25: 16% · 25–54: 60% · 55+: 24%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
crosswalk_exact · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Ironworkers install structural and reinforcing iron and steel to form and support buildings, bridges, and roads.
Ironworkers perform physically demanding and dangerous work, often at great heights. Workers must wear safety equipment to reduce the risk of falls or other injuries.
Most ironworkers learn through an apprenticeship or on-the-job training.
The median annual wage for reinforcing iron and rebar workers was $59,280 in May 2024.
Overall employment of ironworkers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.