AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-2142.00
Will AI replace Paperhangers?
Paperhangers: AI can already handle 1 of 20 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Paperhangers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Smooth strips or sections of paper with brushes or rollers to remove wrinkles and bubbles and to smooth joints. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Trim rough edges from strips, using straightedges and trimming knives. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Trim excess material at ceilings or baseboards, using knives. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mark vertical guidelines on walls to align strips, using plumb bobs and chalk lines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cover interior walls and ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, using hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Apply adhesives to the backs of paper strips, using brushes, or dunk strips of prepasted wallcovering in water, wiping off any excess adhesive. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Measure and cut strips from rolls of wallpaper or fabric, using shears or razors. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fill holes, cracks, and other surface imperfections preparatory to covering surfaces. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Apply sizing to seal surfaces and maximize adhesion of coverings to surfaces. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Smooth rough spots on walls and ceilings, using sandpaper. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set up equipment, such as pasteboards and scaffolds. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove old paper, using water, steam machines, or solvents and scrapers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Staple or tack advertising posters onto fences, walls, billboards, or poles. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Apply thinned glue to waterproof porous surfaces, using brushes, rollers, or pasting machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mix paste, using paste powder and water, and brush paste onto surfaces. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove paint, varnish, dirt, and grease from surfaces, using paint remover and water soda solutions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Apply acetic acid to damp plaster to prevent lime from bleeding through paper. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 20 of 20. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 5% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 5% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 95% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 1,570
- Median annual wage
- $52,140
- Middle half of earners
- $44,890 to $60,180
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +5.3%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure14
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure23
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure19
- Tapers 60% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure15
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure19
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Paperhangers and AI
Will AI replace Paperhangers?
AI already handles 1 of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 18 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +5.3% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Paperhangers?
18 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 20 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Paperhangers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 5% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 95% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Paperhangers, and what do they earn?
1,570 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $52,140 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +5.3% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Paperhangers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/paperhangers
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