Ship and Boat Captains vs Crane and Tower Operators AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

medium risk

Ship and Boat Captains

46 shared · 53 different

core competencies

low risk

Crane and Tower Operators

Side-by-Side Comparison

Crane and Tower Operators leads 4–1

Metric	Ship and Boat Captains	Crane and Tower Operators
Risk Score	27.6%	23.8%
Risk Tier	Medium Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	28th	16th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	8 / 15	5 / 12
Median Salary	$85,540	$66,370
Employment	35K	42K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Transportation

Assisting and Caring for Others

Management of Personnel Resources

Judgment and Decision MakingAI-Augmented

Public Safety and Security

Spatial Orientation

Customer and Personal Service

Inductive Reasoning

Monitoring and Controlling Resources

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

InstructingAI-Resistant

Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Ship and Boat Captains

35%

total discount

Crane and Tower Operators

26%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Ship and Boat Captains

8 of 15 at risk

88%Measure depths of water, using depth-measuring equipment.

86%Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen.

86%Maintain records of daily activities, personnel reports, ship positions and movements, ports of call, weather and sea conditions, pollution control efforts, or cargo or passenger status.

78%Signal passing vessels, using whistles, flashing lights, flags, or radios.

78%Monitor the loading or discharging of cargo or passengers.

Crane and Tower Operators

5 of 12 at risk

88%Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.

88%Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.

86%Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.

84%Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements and remove and batch packaging tickets.

57%Load or unload bundles from trucks or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.

Wage Comparison

Crane and Tower Operators earns -$19,170(-22%) vs Ship and Boat Captains

Ship and Boat CaptainsCrane and Tower Operators

10th

$46,260$41,670

25th

$60,800$50,970

Median

$85,540$66,370

75th

$124,530$81,630

90th

$164,230$102,400

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Ship and Boat Captains2028–2035

Crane and Tower Operators2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Crane and Tower Operators has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Ship and Boat Captains.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Ship and Boat Captains

$61,888

from $85,540

Crane and Tower Operators

$50,567

from $66,370

After adjusting for AI risk, Ship and Boat Captains offers $11,321 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Ship

Unique to Crane

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Social Intelligence

Creativity

Regulatory Barriers

Decision Complexity

Ship and Boat CaptainsCrane and Tower Operators

Find transitions from Ship and Boat Captains Find transitions from Crane and Tower Operators