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 →Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Occupation · SOC 47-2221.00
Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.
Also called: Fitter · Iron Worker · Ironworker · Steel Worker · Steel Fabricator · Structural Steel Erector · Tower Hand · Assembler · Awnings Mechanic · Billboard Erector · Billboard Installer · Billboard Mechanic
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-47-2221-00/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.
- About average employment outlook (+4.4% by 2034)
- 5,500 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $62,700/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (68th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (2nd)
2nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 5,500 openings a year (+4.4% 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 | 2nd | -1.8 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 8th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 5th | 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 0.1). 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.
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 · 68th percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +4.4% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 5,500 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 65,700 → 68,600 |
“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.
Structural Iron and Steel Workers sits at the 5th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
11% mean task exposure (2025)
5th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Structural Metal Preparers and Erectors · 7214 | 11% | 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 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required. Core · importance 4.5
- Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors. Core · importance 4.5
- Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place. Core · importance 4.4
- Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope. Core · importance 4.3
- Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members. Core · importance 4.3
- Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels. Core · importance 4.3
- Cut, bend, or weld steel pieces, using metal shears, torches, or welding equipment. Core · importance 4.2
- Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails. Core · importance 4.2
- Force structural steel members into final positions, using turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, or hand tools. Core · importance 4.1
- Pull, push, or pry structural steel members into approximate positions for bolting into place. Core · importance 4.1
- Unload and position prefabricated steel units for hoisting, as needed. Core · importance 4.0
- Drive drift pins through rivet holes to align rivet holes in structural steel members with corresponding holes in previously placed members. Core · importance 4.0
- Assemble hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials. Core · importance 4.0
- Fabricate metal parts, such as steel frames, columns, beams, or girders, according to blueprints or instructions from supervisors. Core · importance 3.9
- Ride on girders or other structural steel members to position them, or use rope to guide them into position. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Dismantle structures or equipment. Core · importance 3.3
- Hold rivets while riveters use air hammers to form heads on rivets. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Insert sealing strips, wiring, insulating material, ladders, flanges, gauges, or valves, depending on types of structures being assembled. Supplemental · importance 3.0
- Place blocks under reinforcing bars used to reinforce floors. Supplemental · importance 3.0
- Catch hot rivets in buckets and insert rivets in holes, using tongs. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Assemble or inspect hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
- Lift steel beams, girders, or columns using cranes or forklifts, or by signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift or position structural steel members.
Work activities
- Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
- Verify alignment of structures or equipment.
- Install metal structural components.
- Position structural components.
- Fabricate parts or components.
- Cut metal components for installation.
- Weld metal components.
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
- Load or unload materials used in construction or extraction.
- Dismantle equipment or temporary structures.
- Install insulation in equipment or structures.
- Install gauges or controls.
- Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.
- Position safety or support equipment.
- Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel.
- Signal equipment operators to indicate proper equipment positioning.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Building and Construction | 4.6 | |
| Mechanical | 3.7 | |
| Mathematics | 3.5 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.3 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Multilimb Coordination | 4.1 | |
| Static Strength | 4.1 | |
| Visualization | 4.0 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 4.0 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Control Precision | 3.9 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.9 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.8 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.8 | |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 3.8 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.8 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.6 | |
| Dynamic Strength | 3.6 | |
| Far Vision | 3.6 | |
| Rate Control | 3.5 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.5 | |
| Stamina | 3.5 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.4 | |
| Auditory Attention | 3.4 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Response Orientation | 3.1 | |
| Gross Body Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Coordination | 3.6 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.6 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 |
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
- 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.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 42.1% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 33.7% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 19.2% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 5.0% |
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 | |
| Investigative | 2.8 | |
| Artistic | 1.4 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 6.7 | |
| Engineering | 4.1 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 2.9 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.2 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.0 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 1.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.2 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.1 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 1.9 | |
| Perseverance | 1.8 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 1.3 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $42,000 |
| 25th percentile | $49,090 |
| Median (50th) | $62,700 |
| 75th percentile | $82,780 |
| 90th percentile | $107,520 |
| People employed | 64,720 |
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 | 54,840 | $62,870 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 6,950 | $60,870 |
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 2,030 | $76,010 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 860 | $46,310 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 670 | $51,720 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 590 | $38,090 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 420 | $58,210 |
| Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors · National industry | 410 | $75,640 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 400 | $60,640 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 280 | $67,570 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 270 | $58,900 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 240 | $44,860 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 31.49× | 2,030 |
| Construction · Sector | 16.09× | 54,840 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 6.82× | 670 |
| Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors · National industry | 3.78× | 410 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 1.3× | 6,950 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 0.75× | 400 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 0.58× | 140 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.53× | 590 |
Related occupations
Part of the Construction career cluster.
- Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers · 47-2171.00 Compare →
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters · 51-2041.00 Compare →
- Sheet Metal Workers · 47-2211.00 Compare →
- Carpenters · 47-2031.00 Compare →
- Millwrights · 49-9044.00 Compare →
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · 51-2011.00 Compare →
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers · 47-2081.00 Compare →
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic · 51-4192.00 Compare →
- Boilermakers · 47-2011.00 Compare →
- Construction Laborers · 47-2061.00 Compare →
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons · 47-2021.00 Compare →
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · 47-2152.00 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 Structural Iron and Steel Workers — 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.
- High school diploma or equivalent · 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 5th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Structural Iron and Steel Workers show 2nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,500 annual U.S. openings
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers rank in the 2nd 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 5,500 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 about average (+4.4%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $62,700, across about 64,720 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Structural Iron and Steel Workers show 2nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,500 annual U.S. openings • Structural Iron and Steel Workers rank in the 2nd 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 5,500 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 about average (+4.4%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $62,700, across about 64,720 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Structural Iron and Steel Workers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2221-00 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. "Structural Iron and Steel Workers." 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-47-2221-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Structural Iron and Steel Workers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2221-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-47-2221-00,
title = {Structural Iron and Steel Workers},
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-47-2221-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.