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Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

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 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 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 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$39,270
$62,970
Employment · BLS OEWS
43,640
455,940
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
14th pct
20th pct

At a glance

Dimension Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Median pay $39,270 $62,970
Employment 43,640 455,940
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.9%) About average (+4.5%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 4,900 44,000
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 14th pct Low · 20th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 2nd pct · 9% of tasks 18th pct · 15% 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, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Mathematics, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Multilimb Coordination, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Trunk Strength, Extent Flexibility, Near Vision, Administration and Management, Visualization, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Finger Dexterity, Control Precision, Design, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Deductive Reasoning, Category Flexibility, Engineering and Technology, Public Safety and Security, Coordination, Inductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Complex Problem Solving.

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

  • English Language
  • Static Strength
  • Speech Recognition
  • Active Listening
  • Speech Clarity
  • Education and Training
  • Stamina
  • Depth Perception

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  • Far Vision
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Physics
  • Speaking
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Time Management

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 , Word processing software .

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

    Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters or Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters — 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 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters." 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; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); 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-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters

    APA

    Singulariki. (2026). Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters,
  title  = {Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); 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-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters}
}

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