Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators vs Pipelayers AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

low risk

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

50 shared · 13 different

core competencies

low risk

Pipelayers

Side-by-Side Comparison

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators leads 5–0

Metric	Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators	Pipelayers
Risk Score	18.1%	21.6%
Risk Tier	Low Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	4th	10th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	0 / 15	3 / 14
Median Salary	$51,650	$48,710
Employment	46K	34K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Handling and Moving Objects

Building and Construction

Transportation

MathematicsAI-Vulnerable

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Mechanical

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information

Training and Teaching Others

Production and Processing

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Multilimb Coordination

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

25%

total discount

Pipelayers

28%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

0 of 15 at risk

45%Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.

41%Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.

39%Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.

39%Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.

37%Shovel blacktop.

Pipelayers

3 of 14 at risk

84%Lay out pipe routes, following written instructions or blueprints and coordinating layouts with supervisors.

74%Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.

74%Locate existing pipes needing repair or replacement, using magnetic or radio indicators.

49%Cover pipes with earth or other materials.

49%Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools.

Wage Comparison

Pipelayers earns -$2,940(-6%) vs Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment OperatorsPipelayers

10th

$38,030$36,840

25th

$44,740$42,320

Median

$51,650$48,710

75th

$66,060$60,980

90th

$90,110$80,710

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators2028–2035

Pipelayers2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Pipelayers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

$42,301

from $51,650

Pipelayers

$38,189

from $48,710

After adjusting for AI risk, Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators offers $4,113 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Paving,

Unique to Pipelayers

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Fine Manipulation

Social Intelligence

Regulatory Barriers

Creativity

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment OperatorsPipelayers

Find transitions from Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Find transitions from Pipelayers