Riggers
Also called: Machinery Erector, Machinery Mover, Motor Rigger, RiggerSet up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 35% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $57,980 | $42,020 to $60,670 | 460 |
| Alaska | $58,010 | $58,010 to $71,870 | 40 |
| Arizona | $52,370 | $51,690 to $63,020 | 250 |
| Arkansas | $59,680 | $39,680 to $121,200 | 120 |
| California | $85,730 | $67,180 to $102,050 | 2,260 |
| Colorado | $73,720 | $64,530 to $85,260 | 310 |
| Connecticut | $67,560 | $55,850 to $79,830 | 350 |
| Florida | $52,390 | $46,840 to $62,640 | 910 |
| Georgia | $67,200 | $58,750 to $91,860 | 700 |
| Hawaii | $84,410 | $71,240 to $90,830 | 170 |
| Idaho | $72,850 | $71,440 to $84,390 | 60 |
| Illinois | $81,860 | $68,210 to $83,290 | 120 |
| Indiana | $46,090 | $40,710 to $53,290 | 330 |
| Iowa | $62,400 | $47,080 to $63,540 | 200 |
| Kansas | $41,060 | $30,120 to $46,610 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $50,270 | $44,870 to $62,280 | not published |
| Louisiana | $43,660 | $35,910 to $58,840 | 1,840 |
| Maine | $64,910 | $62,480 to $73,430 | 330 |
| Maryland | $91,420 | $65,100 to $95,540 | 230 |
| Massachusetts | $53,500 | $45,850 to $64,690 | 240 |
| Michigan | $58,490 | $45,020 to $62,590 | 380 |
| Minnesota | $87,120 | $68,790 to $100,960 | 190 |
| Mississippi | $63,390 | $63,130 to $63,390 | 320 |
| Missouri | $54,190 | $42,020 to $75,550 | 190 |
| Nebraska | $61,080 | $47,250 to $77,270 | 100 |
| Nevada | $81,720 | $70,350 to $87,360 | 860 |
| New Jersey | $82,130 | $58,560 to $103,880 | 200 |
| New Mexico | $37,440 | $37,440 to $47,510 | 230 |
| New York | $105,600 | $76,440 to $123,210 | 650 |
| North Carolina | $56,640 | $50,700 to $61,940 | 440 |
| North Dakota | $77,890 | $74,830 to $169,480 | 140 |
| Ohio | $58,380 | $43,320 to $76,280 | 290 |
| Oklahoma | $48,490 | $40,670 to $55,360 | 300 |
| Oregon | $94,470 | $66,130 to $127,020 | 290 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,140 | $48,040 to $73,660 | 360 |
| Rhode Island | $64,260 | $51,980 to $81,540 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $51,020 | $45,390 to $61,430 | 470 |
| Tennessee | $47,180 | $38,740 to $49,330 | 310 |
| Texas | $51,980 | $45,820 to $74,610 | 3,770 |
| Utah | $93,640 | $83,560 to $97,850 | 490 |
| Virginia | $63,620 | $50,310 to $71,090 | 1,920 |
| Washington | $77,100 | $64,000 to $95,560 | 910 |
| Wisconsin | $49,640 | $47,250 to $65,820 | 170 |
Nationally: $62,640. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability. | Not published |
| AI + software | Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques. | Not published |
| Not much | Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use. | Not published |
| Not much | Align, level, and anchor machinery. | Not published |
| Not much | Load machines onto trucks to prepare for transportation. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach pulleys and blocks to fixed overhead structures, such as beams, ceilings, and gin pole booms, using bolts and clamps. | Not published |
| Not much | Fabricate, set up, and repair rigging, supporting structures, hoists, and pulling gear, using hand and power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials, such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and dress machine surfaces and component parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Install ground rigging for yarding lines, attaching chokers to logs and to the lines. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set up equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Disassemble equipment |
Show all 10 activities
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for riggers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,255 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 5%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 5 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Very high +3.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 2,475 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
- 5 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Very high +3.4% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 21% less than high school
- 63% high school
- 16% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 25 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 16% less than high school
- 34% high school
- 33% some college
- 13% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 123 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (RIGGER; RIGGER (Ship & Boat Bldg)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Riggers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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