Ship Engineers vs Locomotive Engineers
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Ship Engineers and Locomotive 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 | Ship Engineers | Locomotive Engineers |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $101,320 | $77,400 |
| Employment | 8,580 | 31,990 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+1.6%) | About average (+0.7%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 1,100 | 2,200 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Low · 4th pct | Moderate · 34th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 42nd pct · 23% of tasks | 33rd pct · 20% 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: Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Monitoring, Written Comprehension, Control Precision, Near Vision, English Language, Speaking, Speech Clarity, Public Safety and Security, Complex Problem Solving, Speech Recognition, Transportation, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Inductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Reading Comprehension, Flexibility of Closure, Selective Attention, Manual Dexterity.
Specific to Ship Engineers
- Mechanical
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Engineering and Technology
- Systems Analysis
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
Specific to Locomotive Engineers
- Far Vision
- Response Orientation
- Reaction Time
- Depth Perception
- Perceptual Speed
- Multilimb Coordination
- Rate Control
- Auditory Attention
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 , Word processing software .
Specific to Ship Engineers
Specific to Locomotive Engineers
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Ship Engineers or Locomotive 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.
- Ship Engineers vs Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Ship Engineers vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
- Ship Engineers vs Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
- Ship Engineers vs Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
- Ship Engineers vs Sailors and Marine Oilers
- Ship Engineers vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
- Ship Engineers vs Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Ship Engineers vs Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
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. "Ship Engineers vs Locomotive 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; 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/ship-engineers-vs-locomotive-engineers
Singulariki. (2026). Ship Engineers vs Locomotive Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/ship-engineers-vs-locomotive-engineers
@misc{singulariki-ship-engineers-vs-locomotive-engineers,
title = {Ship Engineers vs Locomotive Engineers},
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/ship-engineers-vs-locomotive-engineers}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.