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AI exposure Construction and extraction

Will AI replace highway maintenance workers?

Highway Maintenance Workers. US occupation 47-4051.

0.0%

of the time highway maintenance workers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of highway maintenance workers' 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 highway maintenance workersWhat highway maintenance workers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 19 tasks for highway maintenance workers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

19 of the 19 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.Core task
  • Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.Core task
  • Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.Core task
  • Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement.Core task
  • Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.Core task
  • Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.Core task
Show the other 13
  • Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.Core task
  • Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.Core task
  • Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.Core task
  • Perform roadside landscaping work, such as clearing weeds and brush, and planting and trimming trees.Core task
  • Remove litter and debris from roadways, including debris from rock and mud slides.Core task
  • Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.Core task
  • Apply oil to road surfaces, using sprayers.
  • Apply poisons along roadsides and in animal burrows to eliminate unwanted roadside vegetation and rodents.
  • Blend compounds to form adhesive mixtures used for marker installation.
  • Inspect markers to verify accurate installation.
  • Measure and mark locations for installation of markers, using tape, string, or chalk.
  • Paint traffic control lines and place pavement traffic messages, by hand or using machines.
  • Place and remove snow fences used to prevent the accumulation of drifting snow on highways.

How that compares

Among the 56 construction and extraction occupations, highway maintenance workers rank 33. 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. 346Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons 0.0%
  2. 346Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 0.0%
  3. 346Helpers--Roofers 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.