# Roofers

> Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.

- **SOC code:** 47-2181.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2181-00
- **Also known as:** Roof Mechanic, Roof Service Technician, Roofer, Roofing Technician, Commercial Roofer, Industrial Roofer, Metal Roofing Mechanic, Residential Roofer
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
- Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
- Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs.
- Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs.
- Cement or nail flashing strips of metal or shingle over joints to make them watertight.
- Install partially overlapping layers of material over roof insulation surfaces, using chalk lines, gauges on shingling hatchets, or lines on shingles.
- Cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces.
- Apply plastic coatings, membranes, fiberglass, or felt over sloped roofs before applying shingles.
- Install, repair, or replace single-ply roofing systems, using waterproof sheet materials such as modified plastics, elastomeric, or other asphaltic compositions.
- Cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, knives, punches, hammers, or other tools.
- Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by attaching waterproofing membranes to surfaces.
- Attach roofing paper to roofs in overlapping strips to form bases for other materials.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Building and Construction _(knowledge)_
- Gross Body Equilibrium _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Trunk Strength _(ability)_
- Extent Flexibility _(ability)_
- Coordination _(transferable_skill)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Manual Dexterity _(ability)_
- Multilimb Coordination _(ability)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Microsoft Word _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Windows _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Windows _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- AppliCad Roof Wizard
- ASR Software LWC-Plus
- ASR Software Taper-Plus
- ASR Software TopView LE
- ASR Software TopView ME
- CADAFIS
- DigiTools Roof CAD
- Energy cost evaluation software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 2nd percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 2nd percentile (Low) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 11th percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 2nd percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 78th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 5.9% growth (About average); 12.7k annual openings; 166.7k → 176.5k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $50,970; 136,740 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs. _(0.4% of measured AI use)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2181-00_