Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers
SOC Code: 51-2011
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers carries a 36% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $61,680 and -14.5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 33,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 36% AI exposure, Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers sits 1 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 58% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
33/100
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage C $61,680
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -14.5%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) D 36% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
36% Around the middle lower than 42% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 51-2011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Assemble parts, fittings, or subassemblies on aircraft, using layout tools, hand tools, power tools, or fasteners, such as bolts, screws, rivets, or clamps.
- 2. Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.
- 3. Set, align, adjust, or synchronize aircraft armament or rigging or control system components to established tolerances or requirements, using sighting devices and hand tools.
- 4. Attach brackets, hinges, or clips to secure or support components or subassemblies, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding.
- 5. Join structural assemblies, such as wings, tails, or fuselage.
- 6. Inspect or test installed units, parts, systems, or assemblies for fit, alignment, performance, defects, or compliance with standards, using measuring instruments or test equipment.
- 7. Adjust, repair, rework, or replace parts or assemblies to ensure proper operation.
- 8. Cut, trim, file, bend, or smooth parts to ensure proper fit and clearance.
- 9. Position and align subassemblies in jigs or fixtures, using measuring instruments and following blueprint lines and index points.
- 10. Fabricate parts needed for assembly or installation, using shop machinery or equipment.
Key Skills Required
- Quality Control Analysis
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Equipment Maintenance
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Time Management
Knowledge Areas
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Production and Processing
- Design
- Computers and Electronics
- Public Safety and Security
- Engineering and Technology
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers?
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers has an AI exposure score of 36%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers is projected to decline by 14.5% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 33,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers?
Key skills for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers include Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers earn?
The median annual wage for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers is $61,680, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers?
The typical entry-level education for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers?
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (36% here).
- Agricultural technicians · AI exposure 36%
- Bioengineers and biomedical engineers · AI exposure 36%
- Cardiologists · AI exposure 36%
- Elementary school teachers, except special education · AI exposure 36%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-14.5% here).
- Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic · growth -14.4%
- Prepress technicians and workers · growth -14.6%
- Office machine operators, except computer · growth -15.2%
- Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors · growth -13.7%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 81 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).