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Hoist and Winch Operators vs Crane and Tower Operators

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Hoist and Winch Operators and Crane and Tower Operators 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.”

Hoist and Winch Operators Crane and Tower Operators
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$52,310
$66,370
Employment · BLS OEWS
2,480
42,000
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
17th pct
19th pct

At a glance

Dimension Hoist and Winch Operators Crane and Tower Operators
Median pay $52,310 $66,370
Employment 2,480 42,000
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-1.1%) About average (+3.0%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 300 3,800
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 · 17th pct Low · 19th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 25th pct · 18% of tasks 25th pct · 18% 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: Problem Sensitivity, Critical Thinking, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Reaction Time, Depth Perception, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Multilimb Coordination, Near Vision, Active Listening, Operation and Control, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Manual Dexterity, Speech Recognition, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Perceptual Speed, Visualization, Rate Control, Far Vision, Speech Clarity, Information Ordering, Finger Dexterity, Speaking, Mechanical, Response Orientation.

Specific to Hoist and Winch Operators

  • Inductive Reasoning
  • Hearing Sensitivity
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Instructing
  • Management of Personnel Resources

Specific to Crane and Tower Operators

  • Visual Color Discrimination
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Mathematics
  • Spatial Orientation
  • Time Sharing
  • Glare Sensitivity
  • Transportation
  • English Language

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 .

Specific to Hoist and Winch Operators

Specific to Crane and Tower Operators

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Hoist and Winch Operators or Crane and Tower Operators — 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. "Hoist and Winch Operators vs Crane and Tower Operators." 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/hoist-and-winch-operators-vs-crane-and-tower-operators

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Hoist and Winch Operators vs Crane and Tower Operators. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/hoist-and-winch-operators-vs-crane-and-tower-operators

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-hoist-and-winch-operators-vs-crane-and-tower-operators,
  title  = {Hoist and Winch Operators vs Crane and Tower Operators},
  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/hoist-and-winch-operators-vs-crane-and-tower-operators}
}

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