Stonemasons

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.0), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Tasks

All 17 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Set vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and level. Core · importance 4.6
• Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines. Core · importance 4.5
• Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern. Core · importance 4.5
• Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones, using a trowel, and smooth the mortar to an attractive finish, using a tuck pointer. Core · importance 4.2
• Clean excess mortar or grout from surface of marble, stone, or monument, using sponge, brush, water, or acid. Core · importance 4.2
• Shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools. Core · importance 4.1
• Mix mortar or grout and pour or spread mortar or grout on marble slabs, stone, or foundation. Core · importance 4.0
• Construct and install prefabricated masonry units. Core · importance 4.0
• Smooth, polish, and bevel surfaces, using hand tools and power tools. Core · importance 3.9
• Lay brick to build shells of chimneys and smokestacks or to line or reline industrial furnaces, kilns, boilers and similar installations. Core · importance 3.8
• Replace broken or missing masonry units in walls or floors. Core · importance 3.7
• Remove sections of monument from truck bed, and guide stone onto foundation, using skids, hoist, or truck crane. Core · importance 3.7
• Drill holes in marble or ornamental stone and anchor brackets in holes. Core · importance 3.7
• Dig trench for foundation of monument, using pick and shovel. Supplemental · importance 3.5
• Repair cracked or chipped areas of stone or marble, using blowtorch and mastic, and remove rough or defective spots from concrete, using power grinder or chisel and hammer. Core · importance 3.4
• Position mold along guidelines of wall, press mold in place, and remove mold and paper from wall. Supplemental · importance 3.0
• Line interiors of molds with treated paper and fill molds with composition-stone mixture. Supplemental

Work activities

• Mark reference points on construction materials.
• Cut tile, stone, or other masonry materials.
• Align masonry materials.
• Mix substances or compounds needed for work activities.
• Spread concrete or other aggregate mixtures.
• Apply mortar.
• Apply decorative masonry finishes.
• Remove excess materials from finished construction projects.
• Install masonry materials.
• Smooth surfaces with abrasive materials or tools.
• Drill holes in construction materials.
• Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
• Dig holes or trenches.
• Position construction forms or molds.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Essential skills

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Mathematics Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Project Management Software Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Accounting Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Construction Trades . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Construction career cluster.

• Brickmasons and Blockmasons · 47-2021.00 Compare →
• Tile and Stone Setters · 47-2044.00 Compare →
• Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing · 51-9195.03 Compare →
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers · 47-2053.00 Compare →
• Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters · 47-3011.00 Compare →
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers · 47-2051.00 Compare →
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles · 47-2042.00 Compare →
• Plasterers and Stucco Masons · 47-2161.00 Compare →
• Segmental Pavers · 47-4091.00 Compare →
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers · 47-2081.00 Compare →
• Carpenters · 47-2031.00 Compare →
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers · 47-2221.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Stonemasons — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

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.

@misc{singulariki-role-47-2022-00,
  title  = {Stonemasons},
  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/roles/role-47-2022-00}
}