Motorboat Operators vs Ship Engineers
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Motorboat Operators and Ship Engineers 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.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Motorboat Operators | Ship Engineers |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $51,880 | $101,320 |
| Employment | 2,380 | 8,580 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+1.4%) | About average (+1.6%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 300 | 1,100 |
| 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 · 1st pct | Low · 4th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 15th pct · 14% of tasks | 42nd pct · 23% 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: English Language, Control Precision, Operation and Control, Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Operations Monitoring, Problem Sensitivity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Mechanical, Speaking, Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Deductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Judgment and Decision Making, Near Vision, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Oral Comprehension, Flexibility of Closure, Speech Recognition.
Specific to Motorboat Operators
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Spatial Orientation
- Far Vision
- Perceptual Speed
- Multilimb Coordination
- Auditory Attention
- Time Sharing
Specific to Ship Engineers
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Written Comprehension
- Engineering and Technology
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Learning
- Systems Analysis
- Mathematics
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
Specific to Motorboat Operators
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Motorboat Operators or Ship Engineers — 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.
- Motorboat Operators vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
- Motorboat Operators vs Sailors and Marine Oilers
- Motorboat Operators vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
- Motorboat Operators vs Riggers
- Motorboat Operators vs Dredge Operators
- Motorboat Operators vs Locomotive Engineers
- Motorboat Operators vs Hoist and Winch Operators
- Motorboat Operators vs Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Motorboat Operators vs Ship Engineers." 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/motorboat-operators-vs-ship-engineers
Singulariki. (2026). Motorboat Operators vs Ship Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/motorboat-operators-vs-ship-engineers
@misc{singulariki-motorboat-operators-vs-ship-engineers,
title = {Motorboat Operators vs Ship Engineers},
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/motorboat-operators-vs-ship-engineers}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.