Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
SOC Code: 47-2071
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators carries a 17% AI exposure score (Low automation risk), with a median annual wage of $51,650 and +3.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 47,000 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 17% AI exposure, Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators sits 20 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 3% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
63/100
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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 D $51,650
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C +3.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A+ 17% 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators in the Low band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
17% Among the lowest lower than 97% 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.
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators's Low 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 47-2071) 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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. Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
- 2. Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
- 3. Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
- 4. Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
- 5. Coordinate truck dumping.
- 6. Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
- 7. Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
- 8. Set up and tear down equipment.
- 9. Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
- 10. Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
Key Skills Required
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Equipment Maintenance
Knowledge Areas
- Building and Construction
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Design
- Law and Government
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators?
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators has an AI exposure score of 17%, indicating a low 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators is projected to grow by 3.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 47,000 workers.
What skills are needed for Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators?
Key skills for Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators include Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators earn?
The median annual wage for Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators is $51,650, 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators?
The typical entry-level education for Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators?
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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
Low 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 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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 (17% here).
- Foundry mold and coremakers · AI exposure 17%
- Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters · AI exposure 17%
- Roofers · AI exposure 17%
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse · AI exposure 16%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.2% here).
- Anesthesiologists · growth +3.2%
- Brickmasons and blockmasons · growth +3.2%
- Commercial and industrial designers · growth +3.2%
- Counter and rental clerks · growth +3.2%
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 11 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment 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).