Headline risk
4%
Very Low RiskDredge operators
AI displacement pressure score for United States AI Work Index, combining global AI task overlap with local wages, employment trends, and demand signals.
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 dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
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 48,430
Employment 2024
1.1K
Projected Change (2024–34)
1.2%
Openings (2024–34)
0.1K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of material moving machine operators is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads. AI use: 0%
- 2. Start and stop engines to operate equipment. AI use: 0%
- 3. Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually. AI use: 0%
- 4. Pump water to clear machinery pipelines. AI use: 0%
- 5. Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons. AI use: 0%
- 6. Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 40.9 · 404K employed
Under 25: 14% · 25–54: 65% · 55+: 21%
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
Data quality
Employment data available
Narrative & sources
Material moving machine operators use equipment to transport objects.
Most material moving machine operators work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some operators work overnight shifts.
Education requirements vary by occupation. Crane and tower operators typically need work experience in a related occupation.
The median annual wage for material moving machine operators was $46,620 in May 2024.
Overall employment of material moving machine operators is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Important context
This score measures structural AI displacement pressure, not actual job losses. Local wages and demand data are specific to United States AI Work Index; the underlying AI task overlap analysis is consistent across all countries.