Compare Occupations

	Bridge and Lock Tenders	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels	Transportation Inspectors	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	Motorboat Operators	Traffic Technicians
SUMMARY	75% High Risk	33% Low Risk	36% Low Risk	24% Low Risk	43% Moderate Risk	45% Moderate Risk
JOB SCORE	1.6/10	5.5/10	4.1/10	7.0/10	3.6/10	3.7/10
POLLING	76% (High Risk, Based on 17 votes)	37% (Low Risk, Based on 197 votes)	60% (High Risk, Based on 20 votes)	47% (Moderate Risk, Based on 98 votes)	There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet	69% (High Risk, Based on 18 votes)
GROWTH by year 2034	-3.3%	0.5%	1.7%	6.1%	1.4%	3.7%
WAGES	$58,490 or $28.12 per hour	$85,540 or $41.12 per hour	$85,750 or $41.22 per hour	$102,010 or $49.04 per hour	$51,880 or $24.94 per hour	$58,480 or $28.11 per hour
VOLUME as of 2024	2,720	35,390	23,320	213,000	2,380	7,580
SNOWFLAKE [?] 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.
DESCRIPTION	Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.	Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.	Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. Includes rail transportation inspectors, such as freight inspectors, rail inspectors, and other inspectors of transportation vehicles not elsewhere classified.	Plan, direct, or coordinate transportation, storage, or distribution activities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable government laws or regulations. Includes logistics managers.	Operate small motor-driven boats. May assist in navigational activities.	Conduct field studies to determine traffic volume, speed, effectiveness of signals, adequacy of lighting, and other factors influencing traffic conditions, under direction of traffic engineer.

Compare Occupations Side by Side

Curious how automation and AI could affect your career? Our comparison tool lets you view two or more jobs side by side, helping you quickly spot differences in risk level, pay, growth, and popularity. All of this is based on a mix of academic research, user polling, and official labour data.

Automation Risk

Each occupation shows a probability of automation. A higher score means machines and algorithms are more likely to take over the role in the future.

Job Score

A quick summary of how a job performs overall — factoring in wages, growth, volume, and automation risk. It’s a handy way to see the bigger picture at a glance.

Polling Data

Thousands of visitors cast their votes on how “automatable” each job feels. These community insights are shown alongside the calculated probabilities.

Growth & Wages

See how fast each occupation is projected to grow and what people earn on average. High wages don’t always mean high security — automation risk still matters.

Volume of Workers

Explore how many people currently work in each occupation and in which year the data was recorded. Popularity can affect how disruptive automation will be for the wider economy.

The Snowflake Diagram

Each snowflake visualises the balance between automation risk, wages, growth, and job volume. Bigger and greener areas mean stronger performance in that dimension.

Use this comparison page to research careers, guide students, or simply explore the future of work. All data is regularly updated to keep the results relevant.