# Dredge Operators

> Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.

- **SOC code:** 53-7031.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7031-00
- **Also known as:** Dredge Operator, Dredger, Dredge Boat Engineer, Dredge Deckhand, Dredge Engineer, Dredge Hand, Dredge Lever Operator, Dredge Mate
- **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):
- Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
- Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
- Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
- Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
- Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
- Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.

**Emerging tasks** (O*NET):
- Perform maintenance on dredge equipment, such as changing engine oil.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Control Precision _(ability)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Multilimb Coordination _(ability)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Depth Perception _(ability)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Manual Dexterity _(ability)_
- Reaction Time _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Depth Perception _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Equipment Selection _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Global positioning system GPS software
- HYPACK DREDGEPACK
- Programmable logic controller PLC software
- Teledyne Odom Hydrographic ODOM eChart
- Trimble HYDROpro
- Web browser software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 4th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 17th percentile (Low) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 3rd percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 0th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 82nd percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 1.2% growth (About average); 0.1k annual openings; 1.1k → 1.2k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $48,430; 1,030 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/
- **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-53-7031-00_