Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas and Service Unit Operators, 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 | Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $65,010 | $57,980 |
| Employment | 13,090 | 44,120 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+0.2%) | About average (+0.4%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 1,200 | 4,100 |
| 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 · 13th pct | Low · 14th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 30th pct · 19% of tasks | 30th pct · 19% 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, Control Precision, Near Vision, Mechanical, Mathematics, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Multilimb Coordination, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Active Listening, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Perceptual Speed, Reaction Time, Auditory Attention, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making.
Specific to Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
- Information Ordering
- Finger Dexterity
- Instructing
- Rate Control
- Speaking
- Coordination
- Written Expression
- Written Comprehension
Specific to Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Hearing Sensitivity
- Troubleshooting
- Engineering and Technology
- Public Safety and Security
- Far Vision
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
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 , Enterprise resource planning ERP software , Industrial control software , Analytical or scientific software .
Specific to Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Specific to Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas or Service Unit Operators, 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.
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Helpers--Extraction Workers
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Wellhead Pumpers
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
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
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- 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. "Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Service Unit Operators, 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; 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/rotary-drill-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas
Singulariki. (2026). Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/rotary-drill-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas
@misc{singulariki-rotary-drill-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas,
title = {Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas vs Service Unit Operators, 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; 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/rotary-drill-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.