AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers?

Task-level automation exposure for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

12% weighted task index

26 of 26 tasks scored

Median Salary

$65,380 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

34,020 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

-5.6% employment change

3,100 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 22 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$46,290 – $110,470

Highest medians

Washington $110,470

Pennsylvania $81,680

Connecticut $78,630

Texas $76,640

Arizona $73,930

Lowest medians

Arkansas $46,290

Michigan $47,230

Oklahoma $49,070

New York $49,620

Idaho $50,100

State figures come from the 51-2011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 12%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 78%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 3%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 0%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 23/100 Low

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

26 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 5%

1 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 0%

0 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 95%

25 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#20811 · Core · 66% automatable

Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.

visual inspection — Blueprints need spatial reading, human verifies sequence

Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.

#13929 · Core · 20% automatable

Inspect or test installed units, parts, systems, or assemblies for fit, alignment, performance, defects, or compliance with standards, using measuring instruments or test equipment.

visual inspection — Installed assembly inspection needs physical access

Inspect installed components or assemblies.

#20810 · Core · 5% automatable

Assemble parts, fittings, or subassemblies on aircraft, using layout tools, hand tools, power tools, or fasteners, such as bolts, screws, rivets, or clamps.

physical manipulation — Hands-on assembly of metal or plastic parts

Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.

#13939 · Core · 12% automatable

Mark identifying information on tubing or cable assemblies, using etching devices, labels, rubber stamps, or other methods.

physical manipulation — Marking workpieces is hands-on physical task

Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.

#20812 · Core · 10% automatable

Adjust, repair, rework, or replace parts or assemblies to ensure proper operation.

physical manipulation — Physical disassembly and reassembly of parts

Repair parts or assemblies. Replace worn equipment components.

#13928 · Core · 3% automatable

Attach brackets, hinges, or clips to secure or support components or subassemblies, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding.

physical manipulation — Assembling metal structures is hands-on

Assemble metal structures.

#13919 · Core · 5% automatable

Assemble prefabricated parts to form subassemblies.

physical manipulation — Hands-on assembly of metal or plastic parts

Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.

#19903 · Core · 9% automatable

Clean aircraft structures, parts, or components, using aqueous, semi-aqueous, aliphatic hydrocarbon, or organic solvent cleaning products or techniques to reduce carbon or other harmful emissions.

physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of physical workpieces

Clean workpieces or finished products.

#13924 · Core · 5% automatable

Align, fit, assemble, connect, or install system components, using jigs, fixtures, measuring instruments, hand tools, or power tools.

physical manipulation — Aligning parts for assembly needs hands and judgment

Assemble electrical or electronic equipment. Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly. Install mechanical components in production equipment.

#20813 · Core · 7% automatable

Cut, trim, file, bend, or smooth parts to ensure proper fit and clearance.

physical manipulation — Manual trimming of workpieces

Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications. Trim excess material from workpieces. Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.

#13931 · Core · 10% automatable

Clean, oil, or coat system components, as necessary, before assembly or attachment.

physical manipulation — Manual application of lubricants to workpieces

Clean workpieces or finished products. Apply lubricants or coolants to workpieces.

#13942 · Core · 8% automatable

Cut cables and tubing, using master templates, measuring instruments, and cable cutters or saws.

physical manipulation — Hands-on industrial material cutting

Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.

#13935 · Core · 12% automatable

Set up or operate machines or systems to crimp, cut, bend, form, swage, flare, bead, burr, or straighten tubing, according to specifications.

physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment. Operate cutting equipment.

#13932 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Set, align, adjust, or synchronize aircraft armament or rigging or control system components to established tolerances or requirements, using sighting devices and hand tools.

physical manipulation — Hands-on vehicle component adjustment

Adjust vehicle components according to specifications.

#13925 · Supplemental · 3% automatable

Join structural assemblies, such as wings, tails, or fuselage.

physical manipulation — Assembling metal structures is hands-on

Assemble metal structures.

#19902 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Capture or segregate waste material, such as aluminum swarf, machine cutting fluid, or solvents, for recycling or environmentally responsible disposal.

physical manipulation — Recyclable sorting is unstructured physical labor

Sort recyclable materials.

#13921 · Supplemental · 6% automatable

Position and align subassemblies in jigs or fixtures, using measuring instruments and following blueprint lines and index points.

physical manipulation — Aligning parts for assembly needs hands and judgment

Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.

#13926 · Supplemental · 8% automatable

Layout and mark reference points and locations for installation of parts or components, using jigs, templates, or measuring and marking instruments.

physical manipulation — Drawing guide lines on materials is hands-on

Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.

#13930 · Supplemental · 3% automatable

Fit and fasten sheet metal coverings to surface areas or other sections of aircraft prior to welding or riveting.

physical manipulation — Assembling metal structures is hands-on

Assemble metal structures.

#13938 · Supplemental · 28% automatable

Verify dimensions of cable assemblies or positions of fittings, using measuring instruments.

physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

#13934 · Supplemental · 9% automatable

Fabricate parts needed for assembly or installation, using shop machinery or equipment.

physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand

Assemble metal or plastic parts or products. Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#20815 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Place and connect control cables to electronically controlled units, using hand tools, ring locks, cotter keys, threaded connectors, turnbuckles, or related devices.

physical manipulation — Connecting supply lines is physical fitting

Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.

#20814 · Supplemental · 6% automatable

Manually install structural assemblies or signal crane operators to position assemblies for joining.

physical manipulation — Embodied signaling in shared physical workspace

Assemble metal structures. Signal others to coordinate work activities.

#19901 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Assemble prototypes or integrated-technology demonstrators of new or emerging environmental technologies for aircraft.

physical manipulation — Hands-on assembly of metal or plastic parts

Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.

#20816 · Supplemental · 4% automatable

Install mechanical linkages and actuators, using tensiometers to verify tension of cables.

physical manipulation — Electromechanical assembly requires hands-on fitting

Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems.

#13943 · Supplemental · 12% automatable

Swage fittings onto cables, using swaging machines.

physical manipulation — Hands-on control of industrial machinery in unstructured settings

Connect electrical components or equipment. Connect cables or electrical lines. Operate industrial equipment.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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