Motorboat Operators

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.

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.

• Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses. Core · importance 4.8
• Direct safety operations in emergency situations. Core · importance 4.6
• Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure. Core · importance 4.6
• Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids. Core · importance 4.6
• Organize and direct the activities of crew members. Core · importance 4.5
• Follow safety procedures to ensure the protection of passengers, cargo, and vessels. Core · importance 4.5
• Maintain equipment such as range markers, fire extinguishers, boat fenders, lines, pumps, and fittings. Core · importance 4.4
• Oversee operation of vessels used for carrying passengers, motor vehicles, or goods across rivers, harbors, lakes, and coastal waters. Core · importance 4.4
• Report any observed navigational hazards to authorities. Core · importance 4.4
• Service motors by performing tasks such as changing oil and lubricating parts. Core · importance 4.3
• Arrange repairs, fuel, and supplies for vessels. Core · importance 4.2
• Issue directions for loading, unloading, and seating in boats. Core · importance 4.0
• Tow, push, or guide other boats, barges, logs, or rafts. Core · importance 3.9
• Clean boats and repair hulls and superstructures, using hand tools, paint, and brushes. Core · importance 3.7
• Take depth soundings in turning basins. Supplemental · importance 3.6
• Perform general labor duties such as repairing booms. Supplemental · importance 3.4
• Position booms around docked ships. Supplemental

Work activities

• Navigate water vessels.
• Operate ships or other watercraft.
• Follow safety procedures for vehicle operation.
• Direct emergency management activities.
• Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
• Direct material handling or moving activities.
• Secure watercraft to docks, wharves or other vessels.
• Maintain watercraft engines or machinery.
• Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
• Arrange maintenance activities.
• Clean vessels or marine equipment.
• Measure the level or depth of water or other liquids.
• Maintain work equipment or machinery.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

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

Knowledge

Abilities

Transferable skills

Essential skills

Skills in demand

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

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

Postsecondary nondegree award · 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: Transportation and Materials Moving . 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.

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 Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.

• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · 53-5021.00 Compare →
• Sailors and Marine Oilers · 53-5011.00 Compare →
• Ship Engineers · 53-5031.00 Compare →
• Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians · 49-3051.00 Compare →
• Riggers · 49-9096.00 Compare →
• Dredge Operators · 53-7031.00 Compare →
• Locomotive Engineers · 53-4011.00 Compare →
• Hoist and Winch Operators · 53-7041.00 Compare →
• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · 53-3032.00 Compare →
• Commercial Pilots · 53-2012.00 Compare →
• Fishing and Hunting Workers · 45-3031.00 Compare →
• Bridge and Lock Tenders · 53-6011.00 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 Motorboat Operators — 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-53-5022-00,
  title  = {Motorboat Operators},
  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-53-5022-00}
}