← All 785 jobsFile 51-8021
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 3.1% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #605 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +3.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $78,620 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 31,200 in the US, with about 3,200 openings a year
The work, 22 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
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate energy production or distribution equipment12%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance9%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate pumping systems or equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Diagnose system or equipment problems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 245 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Plan work activities3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Investigate incidents or accidents2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,241 conversations, and it got them there 81% of the time.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate industrial processing or production equipment1%
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 103 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 3,200 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 35% of the workGas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators0% AI does, against 5% here+2.1% by 2035 · $77,320 · High school diploma
- Shares 52% of the workCooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 5% here+5.9% by 2035 · $41,330 · High school diploma
- Shares 49% of the workPlant and System Operators0% AI does, against 5% here+2.3% by 2035 · $62,470 · High school diploma
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 0.09, higher than 32% 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, 51-8021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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