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Operate pumping systems or equipment

Work activity · O*NET

Operate pumping systems or equipment is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Controlling Machines and Processes. 35 occupations report doing it as part of their work.

What it involves

The most common detailed activities O*NET records under this category, ranked by how many occupation tasks map to each.

  • Operate pumping systems or equipment
  • Control pumps or pumping equipment
  • Operate pumps or compressors

How AI is applied to this activity

Microsoft's "Working with AI" study mapped real Bing Copilot conversations to O*NET work activities. The figures below are their measurements for this activity — they describe how AI is used today in one assistant's data, not a forecast that the activity will be automated.

AI completes it successfully 100.0% When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task
Scope AI handles 50.0% How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation
How often AI is applied here 11th pct Percentile across all measured activities by how often AI performs them

Source: Microsoft "Working with AI" (working-with-ai). A high completion rate means AI can assist the activity in isolation — it does not mean an occupation that performs it is being automated, since every job blends many activities.

Detailed work activities

The more granular units of work O*NET groups under this activity, ordered by how many occupations perform them.

Occupations that perform this activity

Ranked by how many of the occupation's tasks map to this activity.

Occupation Tasks
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators 5
Power Plant Operators 3
Wellhead Pumpers 3
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment 2
Construction Laborers 2
Dredge Operators 2
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 2
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 2
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers 2
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 2
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants 1
Biofuels Processing Technicians 1
Biomass Plant Technicians 1
Bridge and Lock Tenders 1
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders 1
Chemical Plant and System Operators 1
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders 1
Conveyor Operators and Tenders 1
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders 1
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 1
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas 1
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas 1
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers 1
Food Batchmakers 1
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders 1
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders 1
Hydroelectric Plant Technicians 1
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 1
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 1
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas 1
Sailors and Marine Oilers 1
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas 1
Ship Engineers 1
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 1
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders 1
Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay AI task-overlap (horizontal) versus median pay (vertical), each as a percentile across all scored occupations, for 35 occupations in occupations that perform Operate pumping systems or equipment.. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Construction Laborers Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas Dredge Operators Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Sailors and Marine Oilers Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Wellhead Pumpers Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas Ship Engineers Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
Occupations that perform Operate pumping systems or equipment., by AI task-overlap and median pay

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Operate pumping systems or equipment." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-pumping-systems-or-equipment

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Operate pumping systems or equipment. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-pumping-systems-or-equipment

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-operate-pumping-systems-or-equipment,
  title  = {Operate pumping systems or equipment},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-pumping-systems-or-equipment}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.