Dredge operators
SOC Code: 53-7031
Dredge operators carries a 30% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $48,430 and +1.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 1,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 30% AI exposure, Dredge operators sits 7 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 30% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
46/100
Dredge operators, 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 F $48,430
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F +1.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B 30% 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 Dredge operators in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Dredge operators keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Dredge operators sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Dredge operators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
30% Lower than most lower than 70% 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.
Dredge operators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Dredge operators 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
Dredge operators'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 53-7031) 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 Dredge operators 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 Dredge operators. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
- 2. Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
- 3. Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
- 4. Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
- 5. Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
- 6. Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.
Key Skills Required
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Troubleshooting
- Social Perceptiveness
Knowledge Areas
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Physics
- Engineering and Technology
- Building and Construction
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Dredge operators?
Dredge operators has an AI exposure score of 30%, 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 Dredge operators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Dredge operators is projected to grow by 1.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 1,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Dredge operators?
Key skills for Dredge operators include Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Dredge operators earn?
The median annual wage for Dredge operators is $48,430, 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 Dredge operators?
The typical entry-level education for Dredge operators 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 Dredge operators?
Dredge operators 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 6 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Dredge operators: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (30% here).
- Actors · AI exposure 30%
- Aircraft service attendants · AI exposure 30%
- Butchers and meat cutters · AI exposure 30%
- Calibration technologists and technicians · AI exposure 30%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+1.2% here).
- Air traffic controllers · growth +1.2%
- Biological scientists, all other · growth +1.2%
- Camera operators, television, video, and film · growth +1.2%
- Economists · growth +1.2%
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 28 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Dredge operators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Dredge operators 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).