Takeover Tracker
22%low risk
Highway Maintenance Workers
vs

54 shared · 26 different

core competencies

34%medium risk
Recycling and Reclamation Workers

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricHighway Maintenance WorkersRecycling and Reclamation Workers
Risk Score22.3%34.2%
Risk TierLow RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile12th63th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)3 / 155 / 15
Median Salary$49,070$38,820
Employment152K277K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
Assisting and Caring for Others
Handling and Moving Objects
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
Selling or Influencing Others
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Production and Processing
Developing and Building Teams
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
Public Safety and Security
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Highway Maintenance Workers

27%

total discount

Recycling and Reclamation Workers

25%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Highway Maintenance Workers

3 of 15 at risk
61%Measure and mark locations for installation of markers, using tape, string, or chalk.
61%Paint traffic control lines and place pavement traffic messages, by hand or using machines.
51%Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
49%Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
47%Apply poisons along roadsides and in animal burrows to eliminate unwanted roadside vegetation and rodents.

Recycling and Reclamation Workers

5 of 15 at risk
85%Record logs of recycled materials or waste chemicals removed from products.
59%Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling.
59%Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling.
57%Operate forklifts, pallet jacks, power lifts, or front-end loaders to load bales, bundles, or other heavy items onto trucks for shipping to smelters or other recycled materials processing facilities.
51%Operate processing equipment, such as fiber-sorters and grinders, to sort, crush, or grind recyclable materials.

Wage Comparison

Recycling and Reclamation Workers earns -$10,250(-21%) vs Highway Maintenance Workers
Highway Maintenance WorkersRecycling and Reclamation Workers
10th
$35,030$30,370
25th
$41,540$35,080
Median
$49,070$38,820
75th
$59,600$47,550
90th
$69,210$59,600

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Highway Maintenance Workers2028–2035
Recycling and Reclamation Workers2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Highway Maintenance Workers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Recycling and Reclamation Workers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Highway Maintenance Workers

$38,118

from $49,070

Recycling and Reclamation Workers

$25,559

from $38,820

After adjusting for AI risk, Highway Maintenance Workers offers $12,558 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Highway

0

Unique to Recycling

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Social Intelligence
Fine Manipulation
Creativity
Decision Complexity
Highway Maintenance WorkersRecycling and Reclamation Workers
Find transitions from Highway Maintenance WorkersFind transitions from Recycling and Reclamation Workers