# Will structural steel workers be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Structural steel workers score 15 of 100 for AI exposure. 88% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 12%. - **12%** AI helps - **88%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 89% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 19 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 2 and leaves 17 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required. AI can extract quantities from drawings; worker verifies on site. | 55% AI helps | | Fabricate metal parts, such as steel frames, columns, beams, or girders, according to blueprints or instructions from supervisors. AI can help with shop fabrication programs and instructions; work stays physical. | 25% AI helps | | Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels. Alignment checks use physical instruments on site. | 12% Needs a person | | Assemble hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials. Rigging setup is physical, with minor planning help from AI. | 10% Needs a person | | Insert sealing strips, wiring, insulating material, ladders, flanges, gauges, or valves, depending on types of structures being assembled. Installing sealing strips, valves, and wiring is hands-on. | 10% Needs a person | ## How structural steel workers compare All occupations (923) Construction and extraction (61) **Structural steel workers score 15**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 15 for construction and extraction. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $62,780 a year, May 2025 People employed 68,380 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +3.1% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Verify steel quantities against drawings on site - Run takeoffs and quotes in cost estimating software - Schedule erection sequences in project scheduling software - Track member counts in inventory tracking software - Align columns with laser equipment, transit, and plumb bob ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Rebar workers13 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/rebar-workers/) - [Metal fabricators11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/metal-fabricators/) - [Millwrights12 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/millwrights/) - [Drywall installers9 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/drywall-installers/) - [Boilermakers11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/boilermakers/) ## Questions about structural steel workers and AI Will AI replace structural steel workers? Unlikely. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly reading blueprints for material quantities and sizes and fabricating metal parts from shop instructions. Raising, aligning, and bolting steel on site stays with people because it needs a person handling heavy members in the field. Which tasks will AI take over for structural steel workers? Reading blueprints to find material locations, quantities, and sizes carries an exposure score of 55, the highest on this job. AI can extract those quantities from drawings, and the worker then checks the counts on site. Fabricating beams and girders from shop instructions scores 25, with AI helping on the programs while the shaping work stays physical. Which structural steel worker tasks stay with people? Aligning members with plumb bobs, lasers, and transits scores 12, and bolting columns and beams scores 8. Alignment checks use physical instruments on site, and bolting needs hands on the steel. Forcing members into final position with jacks and crowbars scores 3, the lowest on the job, so it stays with the crew. How can structural steel workers stay valuable? Keep the field work sharp, such as aligning with laser equipment and rigging with cables, pulleys, and hooks, since those scores stay low. Learn cost estimating software and project scheduling software so you can check the quantities AI extracts before they reach the crew. Log site changes in Microsoft Outlook and track materials in inventory tracking software for the foreman. ## Related jobs - [Sheet metal workers20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/sheet-metal-workers/) - [Carpenters18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/carpenters/) - [Construction workers13 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/construction-laborers/) - [Bricklayers15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/bricklayers/) ## Next steps for structural steel workers - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.