AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-5071.00
Will AI replace Roustabouts, Oil and Gas?
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 13 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 13 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Guide cranes to move loads about decks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Lay gas and oil pipelines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dig holes, set forms, and mix and pour concrete into forms to make foundations for wood or steel derricks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Bolt together pump and engine parts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean trucks used in the fields. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Supply equipment to rig floors as requested and provide assistance to roughnecks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean up spilled oil by bailing it into barrels. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dig drainage ditches around wells and storage tanks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut down and remove trees and brush to clear drill sites, to reduce fire hazards, and to make way for roads to sites. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dismantle and repair oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 13 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 13 of 13. 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 8% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 8% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 92% 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
- 44,970
- Median annual wage
- $46,960
- Middle half of earners
- $38,850 to $58,120
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.5%
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.
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure21
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure17
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure17
- Wellhead Pumpers 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure15
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure35
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Roustabouts, Oil and Gas and AI
Will AI replace Roustabouts, Oil and Gas?
Not on current evidence. None of the 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 15 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.
What is the AI exposure of Roustabouts, Oil and Gas?
15 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 13 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 13 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Roustabouts, Oil and Gas tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks, at 20 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 8% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 92% 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 Roustabouts, Oil and Gas, and what do they earn?
44,970 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $46,960 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.5% 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: Roustabouts, Oil and Gas. 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/roustabouts-oil-and-gas
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