Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Low pay & highrisk
Moderate Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
26% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
27.3 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Direct progression using pipe materials, fittings, tools, site safety, installation support, and supervised trade experience.

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
21% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better Higher growth
32.3 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Uses field hazard awareness, trench safety, PPE, incident records, inspections, and safety routines.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
38% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
15.5 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Uses hand tools, basic building systems, preventive maintenance, work orders, cleanup, and troubleshooting support.

Construction and Building Inspectors
25% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
28.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Experienced helpers can apply pipe installation, trench, code, site condition, and workmanship awareness.

Cost Estimators
32% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
21.2 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Weaker but realistic for workers who build skills in takeoffs, pipe materials, labor timing, and job costs.

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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
5.6/10
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

53% (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

Very 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

Assisting and caring for others

Quite important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
Jobs that also use this strength

Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
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
Show 1 more strength

Developing objectives and strategies

Quite important
Why this matters
Sets long-term goals and chooses strategies and actions to reach them, weighing tradeoffs and adapting plans as conditions change.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 32 votes

22% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. However, the automation risk level we have generated suggests a higher chance of automation: 53% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters was $39,270 ($19 per hour).

The median annual wage for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters was 20.7% lower 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

Fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters' job openings is expected to rise 4.9% 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

Moderate range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 43,640 people employed as 'Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters' within the United States.

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

Put another way, around 1 in 3 thousand people are employed as 'Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters'.

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Job description

Help plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, or pipelayers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

O*NET-SOC code: 47-3015.00