← All 785 jobsFile 53-7072
Pump Operators
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 4.3% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #294 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
- $61,770 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 9,800 in the US, with about 1,000 openings a year
The work, 16 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 does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities12%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Operate pumping systems or equipment10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,570 conversations, and it got them there 96% of the time.
AI does this: Plan work activities6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain vehicles in working condition6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment5%
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: Test characteristics of materials or products4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect samples of products or materials4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
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 1,000 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 48% of the workChemical Equipment Operators and Tenders4% AI does, against 24% here+3.6% by 2035 · $58,040 · High school diploma
- Shares 43% of the workGas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators0% AI does, against 24% here+2.1% by 2035 · $77,320 · High school diploma
- Shares 42% of the workShip Engineers3% AI does, against 24% here+2.7% by 2035 · $109,530 · Postsecondary certificate
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 0.15, higher than 52% 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, 53-7072 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.