# Power Distributors and Dispatchers

> Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.

- **SOC code:** 51-8012.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8012-00
- **Also known as:** Power System Dispatcher, Power System Operator, Systems Operator, Transmission System Operator (TSO), Control Area Operator, Control Operator, DSO (Distribution System Operator), Dispatcher
- **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):
- Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
- Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
- Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.
- Direct personnel engaged in controlling or operating distribution equipment or machinery, such as instructing control room operators to start boilers or generators.
- Distribute or regulate the flow of power between entities, such as generating stations, substations, distribution lines, or users, keeping track of the status of circuits or connections.
- Prepare switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages, referring to drawings of power systems.
- Manipulate controls to adjust or activate power distribution equipment or machines.
- Monitor and record switchboard or control board readings to ensure that electrical or steam distribution equipment is operating properly.
- Implement energy schedules, including real-time transmission reservations or schedules.
- Calculate load estimates or equipment requirements to determine required control settings.
- Inspect equipment to ensure that specifications are met or to detect any defects.
- Track conditions that could affect power needs, such as changes in the weather, and adjust equipment to meet any anticipated changes.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Public Safety and Security _(knowledge)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Monitoring _(essential_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Telecommunications _(Specialized Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Physics _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- ABB MicroSCADA Pro DMS
- ABB MicroSCADA Pro SYS
- ABB PSGuard
- Catapult Software iPower SCADA
- Distribution automation system software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 53rd percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 60th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 54th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 49th percentile (Moderate) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 54th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -3.2% growth (Declining); 0.8k annual openings; 9.3k → 9k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $107,240; 9,180 employed.

## 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-51-8012-00_