Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
Occupation · SOC 47-2042.00
Apply blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors.
Also called: Floor Covering Contractor · Floor Coverings Installer · Flooring Installer · Vinyl Installer · Floor Layer · Flooring Mechanic · Tile Installer · Tile Setter · Asphalt Tile Floor Layer · Commercial Installer · Composition Floor Layer · Composition Floor Setter
Job family: Construction and Extraction Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-47-2042-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+9.5% by 2034)
- 2,700 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $54,340/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (64th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (3rd)
3rd-percentile task overlap — yet about 2,700 openings a year (+9.5% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
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.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 8th | -1.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 3rd | 0.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 6th | 0.0 |
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.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 64th percentile among occupations · Moderate
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +9.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 2,700 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 33,700 → 36,900 |
“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.
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles sits at the 3rd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
10% mean task exposure (2025)
3rd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+0 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Floor Layers and Tile Setters · 7122 | 10% | Not exposed |
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 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Sweep, scrape, sand, or chip dirt and irregularities to clean base surfaces, correcting imperfections that may show through the covering. Core · importance 4.2
- Cut flooring material to fit around obstructions. Core · importance 4.2
- Inspect surface to be covered to ensure that it is firm and dry. Core · importance 4.2
- Trim excess covering materials, tack edges, and join sections of covering material to form tight joint. Core · importance 4.1
- Form a smooth foundation by stapling plywood or Masonite over the floor or by brushing waterproof compound onto surface and filling cracks with plaster, putty, or grout to seal pores. Core · importance 4.0
- Measure and mark guidelines on surfaces or foundations, using chalk lines and dividers. Core · importance 4.0
- Cut covering and foundation materials, according to blueprints and sketches. Core · importance 4.0
- Apply adhesive cement to floor or wall material to join and adhere foundation material. Core · importance 4.0
- Roll and press sheet wall and floor covering into cement base to smooth and finish surface, using hand roller. Core · importance 4.0
- Determine traffic areas and decide location of seams. Core · importance 3.9
- Lay out, position, and apply shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors, walls, and cabinets, following guidelines to keep courses straight and create designs. Core · importance 3.9
- Remove excess cement to clean finished surface. Core · importance 3.6
- Heat and soften floor covering materials to patch cracks or fit floor coverings around irregular surfaces, using blowtorch. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Disconnect and remove appliances, light fixtures, and worn floor and wall covering from floors, walls, and cabinets. Core · importance 3.3
Work activities
- Clean surfaces in preparation for work activities.
- Prepare surfaces for finishing.
- Cut carpet, vinyl or other flexible materials.
- Inspect work sites to determine condition or necessary repairs.
- Trim excess material from installations.
- Apply material to fill gaps in surfaces.
- Measure materials or objects for installation or assembly.
- Mark reference points on construction materials.
- Finish concrete surfaces.
- Apply adhesives to construction materials.
- Collect data about project sites.
- Apply decorative or textured finishes or coverings.
- Remove excess materials from finished construction projects.
- Remove worn, damaged or outdated materials from work areas.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Building and Construction | 3.9 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.9 | |
| Mathematics | 3.8 | |
| Mechanical | 3.4 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.3 | |
| Design | 3.1 | |
| English Language | 2.9 | |
| Education and Training | 2.9 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.8 |
Abilities
| Extent Flexibility | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.4 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.1 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Visualization | 2.9 | |
| Selective Attention | 2.9 | |
| Trunk Strength | 2.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 2.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 2.8 | |
| Control Precision | 2.8 | |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.8 | |
| Originality | 2.6 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 | |
| Monitoring | 2.9 | |
| Active Learning | 2.8 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Coordination | 2.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 | |
| Time Management | 2.9 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.8 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or 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
- No formal educational credential · 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.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 89.5% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 5.7% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.4% | |
| Some College Courses | 0.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 3.7 | |
| Artistic | 1.8 | |
| Social | 1.6 | |
| Investigative | 1.4 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 6.1 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.6 | |
| Engineering | 1.6 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 1.6 | |
| Visual Arts | 1.5 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 1.5 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 1.4 | |
| Personal Service | 1.2 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 2.1 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.1 | |
| Cautiousness | 1.4 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $37,190 |
| 25th percentile | $44,760 |
| Median (50th) | $54,340 |
| 75th percentile | $72,390 |
| 90th percentile | $97,180 |
| People employed | 24,850 |
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.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Construction · Sector | 20,670 | $55,080 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 3,080 | $54,490 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 680 | $42,740 |
| Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors · National industry | 190 | $50,700 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 160 | $44,200 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors · National industry | 110 | $50,420 |
| Roofing Contractors · National industry | 80 | $40,370 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 40 | $48,880 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 40 | $48,880 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 40 | $77,460 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | — | $46,580 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors · National industry | — | $72,590 |
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).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Construction · Sector | 15.79× | 20,670 |
| Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors · National industry | 4.56× | 190 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors · National industry | 3.3× | 110 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 1.23× | 3,080 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 0.33× | 680 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.16× | 160 |
Related occupations
Part of the Construction career cluster.
- Tile and Stone Setters · 47-2044.00 Compare →
- Carpet Installers · 47-2041.00 Compare →
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall · 47-2131.00 Compare →
- Floor Sanders and Finishers · 47-2043.00 Compare →
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers · 47-2053.00 Compare →
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers · 47-2081.00 Compare →
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons · 47-2021.00 Compare →
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters · 47-3011.00 Compare →
- Insulation Workers, Mechanical · 47-2132.00 Compare →
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers · 47-2051.00 Compare →
- Furniture Finishers · 51-7021.00 Compare →
- Plasterers and Stucco Masons · 47-2161.00 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 Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- No formal educational credential · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Construction Trades · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 3rd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles show 3rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,700 annual U.S. openings
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles rank in the 3rd percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 2,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+9.5%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $54,340, across about 24,850 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles show 3rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,700 annual U.S. openings • Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles rank in the 3rd percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 2,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+9.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $54,340, across about 24,850 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2042-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
Plain
Singulariki. "Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles." 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/roles/role-47-2042-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2042-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-47-2042-00,
title = {Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles},
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-47-2042-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.