← All 785 jobsFile 47-2142
Paperhangers
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 4.3% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- Joint #685 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +4.3% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $52,140 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 2,300 in the US, with about 200 openings a year
The work, 17 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Apply decorative finishes17%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,208 conversations, and it got them there 62% of the time.
Still yours: Perform general construction or extraction activities15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Cut materials15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect completed work or finished products6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position materials or components for assembly5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Apply protective solutions or coatings4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 51 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Assess characteristics of land or property4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Determine resource needs of projects or operations4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,590 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
Still yours: Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Dispose of waste or debris4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Build structures4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Prepare mixtures or solutions3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 714 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Implement procedures or processes1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 88 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 104 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 200 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 62% of the workTile and Stone Setters2% AI does, against 0% here+9.8% by 2035 · $55,690 · No formal credential
- Shares 57% of the workTerrazzo Workers and Finishers0% AI does, against 0% here-13% by 2035 · $76,170 · High school diploma
- Shares 54% of the workFloor Layers0% AI does, against 0% here+9% by 2035 · $56,460 · No formal credential
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.07, higher than 21% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 47-2142 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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