Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

Moderate Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (2)

Lower estimated automation risk

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Why it fits

Aircraft systems familiarity transfers, though electronics troubleshooting and certification require targeted training.

Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
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Why it fits

Direct aircraft-systems move using structures, rigging, fasteners, drawings, inspections, and aviation quality standards.

Alternative careers

Related career paths that build on similar skills and experience

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51% automation risk | Moderate Risk
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Why it fits

Transfers aircraft rigging, load paths, alignment, hardware, safety procedures, and precise adjustment work.

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
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Why it fits

Aircraft assembly experience supports test setup, drawings, measurements, troubleshooting, and engineering support.

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
3.0/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

42% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): This occupation may be meaningfully affected by automation. Some parts of the role may be suitable for AI, software, or robotics, while others still rely on human skill, judgement, trust, or real-world context. People in this range may benefit from building skills that complement automation and reduce replacement risk.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
Jobs that also use this strength

Communicating with people outside the organization

Quite important
Why this matters
Represents the organization to customers, the public, or government—handling questions, concerns, and relationship-building through conversations, writing, calls, or email.
Jobs that also use this strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 17 votes

53% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 42% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers was $61,680 ($30 per hour).

The median annual wage for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers was 24.6% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers' job openings is expected to decline 14.5% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 32,890 people employed as 'Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 4 thousand people are employed as 'Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers'.

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What people are saying (1)

Prat (Low)
25 May 2025 20:30
Due to the job being so labor pushed
Leave a reply about this occupation
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Job description

Assemble, fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear, rigging and control equipment, or heating and ventilating systems.

O*NET-SOC code: 51-2011.00