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 →Crane and Tower Operators
Occupation · SOC 53-7021.00
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Also called: Crane Operator · Mobile Crane Operator · Overhead Crane Operator · Scrap Crane Operator · Heavy Equipment Operator · Machine Operator · Port Crane Operator · Winchman · Woodyard Crane Operator · Acid Crane Operator · Boom Cat Operator · Boom Crane Operator
Job family: Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-53-7021-00/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 (+3.0% by 2034)
- 3,800 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $66,370/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (78th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (20th)
20th-percentile task overlap — yet about 3,800 openings a year (+3% 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 | 16th | -1.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 30th | 0.3 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 19th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.3). 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 0.9 · 78th 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 · +3.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 3,800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 42,300 → 43,500 |
“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.
Crane and Tower Operators sits at the 25th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
18% mean task exposure (2025)
25th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Crane, hoist and related plant operators · 8343 | 18% | 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 11 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload. Core · importance 4.7
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads. Core · importance 4.5
- Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage. Core · importance 4.5
- Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed. Core · importance 4.5
- Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes. Core · importance 4.4
- Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary. Core · importance 4.3
- Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment. Core · importance 4.0
- Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions. Core · importance 3.7
- Direct truck drivers backing vehicles into loading bays and cover, uncover, or secure loads for delivery. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records. Supplemental · importance 3.3
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability.
Work activities
- Weigh materials to ensure compliance with specifications.
- Verify information or specifications.
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Inspect material-moving equipment to detect problems.
- Install parts, assemblies, or attachments in transportation or material handling equipment.
- Clean machinery or equipment.
- Maintain material moving equipment in good working condition.
- Direct material handling or moving activities.
- Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
- Record operational or production data.
- Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures.
- Secure cargo.
- Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- Inspect work to ensure standards are met.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Control Precision | 4.1 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 4.0 | |
| Far Vision | 3.9 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.9 | |
| Rate Control | 3.8 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.6 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.5 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.5 | |
| Response Orientation | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.3 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.1 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 | |
| Spatial Orientation | 3.0 | |
| Time Sharing | 3.0 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.0 | |
| Glare Sensitivity | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Operation and Control | 3.9 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.9 |
Knowledge
| Mechanical | 3.5 | |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | |
| Transportation | 2.9 | |
| English Language | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
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
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | Hot technology |
| Crane operation control software | Industrial control software | |
| Inventory tracking software | Inventory management software |
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 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — 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.
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 60.6% | |
| High School Diploma | 31.5% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 7.8% |
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 | 3.9 | |
| Investigative | 2.2 | |
| Enterprising | 1.3 |
Interest areas
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 6.1 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 4.2 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.0 | |
| Engineering | 2.6 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.3 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 1.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.6 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.3 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 1.6 | |
| Integrity | 1.6 | |
| Self-Control | 1.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $41,670 |
| 25th percentile | $50,970 |
| Median (50th) | $66,370 |
| 75th percentile | $81,630 |
| 90th percentile | $102,400 |
| People employed | 42,000 |
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 | 17,600 | $78,090 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 9,140 | $50,930 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 5,380 | $64,250 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 4,270 | $46,330 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,520 | $53,010 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 1,180 | $83,670 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 1,120 | $77,110 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 600 | $41,170 |
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 580 | $86,270 |
| Roofing Contractors · National industry | 350 | $64,980 |
| Landscaping Services · National industry | 340 | $62,400 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 270 | $71,500 |
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 | 13.87× | 580 |
| Construction · Sector | 7.96× | 17,600 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 7.17× | 1,120 |
| Roofing Contractors · National industry | 5.17× | 350 |
| Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors · National industry | 2.84× | 200 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 2.67× | 5,380 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 2.63× | 9,140 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 2.6× | 4,270 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing and Construction career clusters.
- Hoist and Winch Operators · 53-7041.00 Compare →
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators · 53-7051.00 Compare →
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines · 49-3042.00 Compare →
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining · 47-5022.00 Compare →
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators · 47-2073.00 Compare →
- Riggers · 49-9096.00 Compare →
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining · 47-5044.00 Compare →
- Pile Driver Operators · 47-2072.00 Compare →
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators · 47-5041.00 Compare →
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders · 53-7121.00 Compare →
- Conveyor Operators and Tenders · 53-7011.00 Compare →
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers · 47-2221.00 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 Crane and Tower Operators — 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 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Transportation and Materials Moving · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 25th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Crane and Tower Operators show 20th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 3,800 annual U.S. openings
- Crane and Tower Operators rank in the 20th 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 3,800 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 (+3%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $66,370, across about 42,000 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Crane and Tower Operators show 20th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 3,800 annual U.S. openings • Crane and Tower Operators rank in the 20th 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 3,800 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 (+3%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $66,370, across about 42,000 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Crane and Tower Operators". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7021-00 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. "Crane and Tower Operators." 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-53-7021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Crane and Tower Operators. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-53-7021-00,
title = {Crane and Tower 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-53-7021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.