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Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters and Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$39,270
$38,140
Employment · BLS OEWS
43,640
7,220
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
14th pct
4th pct

At a glance

Dimension Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons
Median pay $39,270 $38,140
Employment 43,640 7,220
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.9%) About average (+2.3%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 4,900 800
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 14th pct Low · 4th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 2nd pct · 9% of tasks 2nd pct · 9% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Building and Construction, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Multilimb Coordination, English Language, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Trunk Strength, Extent Flexibility, Near Vision, Visualization, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Finger Dexterity, Control Precision, Static Strength, Speech Recognition, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Deductive Reasoning, Category Flexibility, Speech Clarity, Coordination, Inductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Stamina, Depth Perception.

Specific to Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Administration and Management
  • Design
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Education and Training

Specific to Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons

  • Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Gross Body Coordination
  • Speaking
  • Dynamic Strength
  • Far Vision
  • Time Management
  • Speed of Limb Movement
  • Visual Color Discrimination

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software .

Specific to Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Specific to Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters or Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

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. "Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-helpers-painters-paperhangers-plasterers-and-stucco-masons

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-helpers-painters-paperhangers-plasterers-and-stucco-masons

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-helpers-painters-paperhangers-plasterers-and-stucco-masons,
  title  = {Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-helpers-painters-paperhangers-plasterers-and-stucco-masons}
}

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