# Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators

> Operate steam-, gas-, electric motor-, or internal combustion-engine driven compressors. Transmit, compress, or recover gases, such as butane, nitrogen, hydrogen, and natural gas.

- **SOC code:** 53-7071.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7071-00
- **Also known as:** Compressor Station Operator, Compressor Technician, Filler, Plant Operator, Compressor Operator, Fill Plant Operator, Liquefied Natural Gas Plant Operator (LNG Plant Operator), Pipeline Technician
- **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):
- Monitor meters and pressure gauges to determine consumption rate variations, temperatures, and pressures.
- Respond to problems by adjusting control room equipment or instructing other personnel to adjust equipment at problem locations or in other control areas.
- Adjust valves and equipment to obtain specified performance.
- Record instrument readings and operational changes in operating logs.
- Move controls and turn valves to start compressor engines, pumps, and auxiliary equipment.
- Operate power-driven pumps that transfer liquids, semi-liquids, gases, or powdered materials.
- Submit daily reports on facility operations.
- Take samples of gases and conduct chemical tests to determine gas quality and sulfur or moisture content, or send samples to laboratories for analysis.
- Read gas meters, and maintain records of the amounts of gas received and dispensed from holders.
- Turn knobs or switches to regulate pressures.
- Clean, lubricate, and adjust equipment, and replace filters and gaskets, using hand tools.
- Maintain each station by performing general housekeeping duties such as painting, washing, and cleaning.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Production and Processing _(knowledge)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Manual Dexterity _(ability)_
- Finger Dexterity _(ability)_
- Public Safety and Security _(knowledge)_
- Administration and Management _(knowledge)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Chemistry _(knowledge)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Chemistry _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Physics _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Programmable logic controller PLC software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 18th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 29th percentile (Low) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 33rd percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 2nd percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 81st percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -1.3% growth (Declining); 0.6k annual openings; 5.4k → 5.3k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $71,510; 5,110 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-53-7071-00_