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AI exposure Construction and extraction

Will AI replace boilermakers?

Boilermakers. US occupation 47-2011.

0.0%

of the time boilermakers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of boilermakers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for boilermakersWhat boilermakers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 17 tasks for boilermakers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

17 of the 17 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.Core task
  • Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.Core task
  • Bolt or arc weld pressure vessel structures and parts together, using wrenches or welding equipment.Core task
  • Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.Core task
  • Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.Core task
  • Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.Core task
Show the other 11
  • Install manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves, gauges, or feedwater connections in drums of water tube boilers, using hand tools.Core task
  • Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.Core task
  • Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.Core task
  • Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.Core task
  • Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.Core task
  • Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.Core task
  • Shape seams, joints, or irregular edges of pressure vessel sections or structural parts to attain specified fit of parts, using cutting torches, hammers, files, or metalworking machines.Core task
  • Straighten or reshape bent pressure vessel plates or structure parts, using hammers, jacks, or torches.Core task
  • Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.Core task
  • Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.
  • Install refractory bricks or other heat-resistant materials in fireboxes of pressure vessels.

How that compares

Among the 56 construction and extraction occupations, boilermakers rank 8. The group averages 0.4%, and its most exposed job is Structural Iron and Steel Workers at 4.9%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Barbers 0.0%
  2. 346Bartenders 0.0%
  3. 346Bicycle Repairers 0.0%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.