AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-2221.00
Will AI replace Structural Iron and Steel Workers?
Structural Iron and Steel Workers: AI can already handle 1 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 Structural Iron and Steel Workers, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut, bend, or weld steel pieces, using metal shears, torches, or welding equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Force structural steel members into final positions, using turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, or hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Pull, push, or pry structural steel members into approximate positions for bolting into place. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Unload and position prefabricated steel units for hoisting, as needed. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Assemble hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fabricate metal parts, such as steel frames, columns, beams, or girders, according to blueprints or instructions from supervisors. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Ride on girders or other structural steel members to position them, or use rope to guide them into position. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dismantle structures or equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Hold rivets while riveters use air hammers to form heads on rivets. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Insert sealing strips, wiring, insulating material, ladders, flanges, gauges, or valves, depending on types of structures being assembled. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Place blocks under reinforcing bars used to reinforce floors. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Drive drift pins through rivet holes to align rivet holes in structural steel members with corresponding holes in previously placed members. | 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 6% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 6% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 94% 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
- 68,380
- Median annual wage
- $62,780
- Middle half of earners
- $49,880 to $82,660
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +4.4%
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.
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure19
- Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure15
- Sheet Metal Workers 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure21
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure24
- Boilermakers 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure15
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Structural Iron and Steel Workers and AI
Will AI replace Structural Iron and Steel Workers?
AI already handles 1 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 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 +4.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Structural Iron and Steel Workers?
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 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 Structural Iron and Steel Workers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 6% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 94% 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 Structural Iron and Steel Workers, and what do they earn?
68,380 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $62,780 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +4.4% 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: Structural Iron and Steel Workers. 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/structural-iron-and-steel-workers
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