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Performing General Physical Activities

Work activity group · O*NET

Performing General Physical Activities is one of the 41 Generalized Work Activities at the top of O*NET's work-activity hierarchy — the broadest description of what people do on the job, sitting above the more specific intermediate and detailed work activities. Across the 894 occupations O*NET rates on it, it scores an average importance of 2.90 of 5 — 26th percentile among all activity groups.

Intermediate activities it contains

The intermediate work activities O*NET groups under Performing General Physical Activities, ranked by how many occupations perform each. Each links to its own page.

Intermediate activity Occupations AI applied
Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas 232 53rd pct
Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing 101 3rd pct
Move materials, equipment, or supplies 98 18th pct
Prepare mixtures or solutions 77 69th pct
Perform general construction or extraction activities 53 23rd pct
Dispose of waste or debris 51 42nd pct
Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects 47 53rd pct
Maintain safety or security 42 85th pct
Clean medical equipment or facilities 28 12th pct
Escort others 22 17th pct
Perform agricultural activities 14 20th pct
Provide food or beverage services 14 26th pct
Transport patients or clients 14 1st pct
Climb equipment or structures 13 2nd pct
Set up protective structures or coverings near work areas 11 33rd pct
Perform athletic activities for fitness, competition, or artistic purposes 9 27th pct
Protect people or property from threats such as fires or flooding 7 38th pct

How AI is applied to this activity group

Microsoft's "Working with AI" study measured how often an AI assistant performs each work activity in real Bing Copilot conversations. Averaged across the 17 intermediate activities under Performing General Physical Activities that the study measured, this group ranks in the 31st percentile for how frequently AI is applied — a description of how AI is used today, not a forecast that the activity will be automated.

The figure is the mean of the child activities' applied-percentiles; open any activity above to see its underlying Microsoft measurements. Every occupation blends many activities, so a high AI-applied rank for one group does not mean a job is being automated.

Occupations that rely on this activity group most

Ranked by O*NET importance rating (1–5) for Performing General Physical Activities. Wages are BLS OEWS May 2024 national medians.

Occupation Importance Median pay Employment
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand 4.90 $41,690 11,850
Electricians 4.71 $62,350 742,580
Physical Therapist Assistants 4.68 $65,510 108,010
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 4.60 $92,560 123,680
Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers 4.60 $41,080 2,610
Carpet Installers 4.59 $49,850 14,980
Registered Nurses 4.57 $93,600 3,282,010
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors 4.52 $46,180 303,620
Painters, Construction and Maintenance 4.52 $48,660 224,180
Choreographers 4.52 $55,600 3,430
Solar Photovoltaic Installers 4.51 $51,860 28,280
Dancers 4.51 — 9,060
Adapted Physical Education Specialists 4.48 $67,430 39,350
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers 4.47 $37,320 114,190
Stonemasons 4.47 $51,990 8,750
Wind Turbine Service Technicians 4.46 $62,580 11,220
Helpers--Carpenters 4.45 $41,600 24,610
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers 4.44 $33,720 143,590
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers 4.43 $70,500 98,360
Insulation Workers, Mechanical 4.43 $57,250 25,640
Models 4.43 $89,990 5,350
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists 4.43 $52,380 2,780
Paperhangers 4.43 $48,260 1,520
Terrazzo Workers and Finishers 4.41 $57,260 1,450
Commercial Divers 4.40 $61,130 3,430
Light Truck Drivers 4.39 $44,140 994,410
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers 4.37 $92,430 93,680
Driver/Sales Workers 4.36 $37,130 417,420
Helpers--Extraction Workers 4.36 $48,400 6,720
Transit and Railroad Police 4.36 $82,320 3,000
Fallers 4.34 $53,900 4,110
Firefighters 4.33 $59,530 332,240
Surgical Assistants 4.33 $60,290 22,860
Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing 4.32 $45,690 34,750
Occupational Therapy Aides 4.31 $37,370 5,000
Roofers 4.30 $50,970 136,740
Helpers--Electricians 4.29 $39,890 64,440
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators 4.28 $67,370 16,480
Foundry Mold and Coremakers 4.28 $45,700 12,720
Millwrights 4.27 $65,170 40,660
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers 4.26 $37,350 192,480
Orderlies 4.25 $37,700 53,020
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters 4.25 $59,110 5,680
Segmental Pavers 4.25 — —
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians 4.24 $45,980 131,320
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas 4.24 $65,010 13,090
Massage Therapists 4.23 $57,950 96,040
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas 4.23 $47,510 45,330
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 4.22 $47,680 100,840
Tree Trimmers and Pruners 4.22 $50,430 47,870
Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers 4.22 $47,260 18,940
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers 4.21 $54,660 205,230
Animal Caretakers 4.19 $33,470 277,300
Fish and Game Wardens 4.18 $68,180 6,420
Forest and Conservation Workers 4.18 $43,680 5,630
Occupational Therapy Assistants 4.17 $68,340 47,910
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders 4.17 $45,210 12,170
Nannies 4.16 $32,050 520,180
Structural Iron and Steel Workers 4.16 $62,700 64,720
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners 4.16 $49,140 29,050

Showing 60 of 894 occupations.

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. "Performing General Physical Activities." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/activity-groups/performing-general-physical-activities

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Performing General Physical Activities. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activity-groups/performing-general-physical-activities

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-performing-general-physical-activities,
  title  = {Performing General Physical Activities},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/activity-groups/performing-general-physical-activities}
}

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