Headline risk
28%
Moderate RiskService unit operators, oil and gas
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
Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 57,980
Employment 2024
45.2K
Projected Change (2024–34)
0.4%
Openings (2024–34)
4.1K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of oil and gas workers is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools. AI use: 0%
- 2. Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes. AI use: 0%
- 3. Confer with others to gather information regarding pipe or tool sizes or borehole conditions in wells. AI use: 0%
- 4. Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs. AI use: 0%
- 5. Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions. AI use: 0%
- 6. Operate pumps that circulate water, oil, or other fluids through wells to remove sand or other materials obstructing the free flow of oil. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 44.7 · 63K employed
Under 25: 11% · 25–54: 57% · 55+: 30%
Related
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
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Oil and gas workers assemble, operate, and maintain equipment used for oil and gas exploration, extraction, and related activities.
Most oil and gas workers are full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Schedules vary and may require workers to spend long periods away from home. Their jobs are often physically demanding and may require being outdoors in all weather conditions.
Although formal education is not typically required to become an oil or gas worker, some employers require or prefer that candidates have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Oil and gas workers learn on the job.
The median annual wage for oil and gas workers was $52,610 in May 2024.
Overall employment of oil and gas workers is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
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.