Pile Driver Operators vs Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Pile Driver Operators and Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas 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 | Pile Driver Operators | Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $70,510 | $59,600 |
| Employment | 3,040 | 17,410 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+4.3%) | About average (+2.9%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 300 | 1,700 |
| 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 · 0th pct | Low · 9th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 11th pct · 13% of tasks | — |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | 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: Operation and Control, Control Precision, Operations Monitoring, Multilimb Coordination, Depth Perception, Reaction Time, Mechanical, Manual Dexterity, Problem Sensitivity, Rate Control, Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Design, Troubleshooting, Deductive Reasoning, Visualization, Far Vision, Active Listening, Coordination, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Administration and Management, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis.
Specific to Pile Driver Operators
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- Engineering and Technology
- Response Orientation
- Selective Attention
- Speech Recognition
- Spatial Orientation
- Auditory Attention
Specific to Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
- Perceptual Speed
- Hearing Sensitivity
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Equipment Selection
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
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 , Mobile location based services software .
Specific to Pile Driver Operators
Specific to Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Pile Driver Operators or Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas — 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.
- Pile Driver Operators vs Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Pile Driver Operators vs Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
- Pile Driver Operators vs Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
- Pile Driver Operators vs Hoist and Winch Operators
- Pile Driver Operators vs Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
- Pile Driver Operators vs Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Pile Driver Operators vs Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
- Pile Driver Operators vs Riggers
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. "Pile Driver Operators vs Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas." 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/pile-driver-operators-vs-earth-drillers-except-oil-and-gas
Singulariki. (2026). Pile Driver Operators vs Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/pile-driver-operators-vs-earth-drillers-except-oil-and-gas
@misc{singulariki-pile-driver-operators-vs-earth-drillers-except-oil-and-gas,
title = {Pile Driver Operators vs Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas},
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/pile-driver-operators-vs-earth-drillers-except-oil-and-gas}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.