AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-5013.00
Will AI replace Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas?
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas: AI can already handle 2 of 19 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 19 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Interpret instrument readings to ascertain the depth of obstruction. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Direct drilling crews performing activities such as assembling and connecting pipe, applying weights to drill pipes, or drilling around lodged obstacles. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Confer with others to gather information regarding pipe or tool sizes or borehole conditions in wells. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate pumps that circulate water, oil, or other fluids through wells to remove sand or other materials obstructing the free flow of oil. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Thread cables through derrick pulleys, using hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Select fishing methods or tools for removing obstacles such as liners, broken casing, screens, or drill pipe. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate specialized equipment to remove obstructions by backing off or severing pipes by chemical or explosive action. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Close and seal wells no longer in use. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perforate well casings or sidewalls of boreholes with explosive charges. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Examine unserviceable wells to determine actions to be taken to improve well conditions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Monitor sound wave-generating or detecting mechanisms to determine well fluid levels. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Insert detection instruments into wells with obstructions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Drive truck-mounted units to well sites. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Apply green technologies or techniques, such as the use of coiled tubing, slim-hole drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, or gas lift systems. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 19 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 19 of 19. 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
A standard-tier model or lower covers 23% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 23% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 77% 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
- 43,140
- Median annual wage
- $58,160
- Middle half of earners
- $47,480 to $73,230
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +0.4%
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.
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure15
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure17
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure17
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure35
- Wellhead Pumpers 68% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas and AI
Will AI replace Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas?
AI already handles 2 of the 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 21 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 +0.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas?
21 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 19 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 19 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes; Interpret instrument readings to ascertain the depth of obstruction. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 23% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 77% 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 Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas, and what do they earn?
43,140 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $58,160 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +0.4% 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: Service Unit Operators, 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/service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas
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