AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters?

Task-level automation exposure for Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters: 15 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

11% weighted task index

15 of 15 tasks scored

Median Salary

$47,550 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Low

14,170 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

-11.7% employment change

1,100 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 44 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$31,740 – $76,180

Highest medians

Washington $76,180

Missouri $63,720

New York $62,020

Hawaii $61,020

Massachusetts $61,020

Lowest medians

Louisiana $31,740

Arizona $34,220

Maryland $35,840

South Carolina $36,180

Alabama $37,390

State figures come from the 47-3011 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 11%

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

Physical work 93%

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

Judgment & influence 7%

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 30/100 Moderate

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

15 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) 0%

0 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 7%

1 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 93%

14 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

#13600 · Core · 12% automatable

Mix mortar, plaster, and grout, manually or using machines, according to standard formulas.

physical manipulation — Physical handling of substances in workspace

Mix substances or compounds needed for work activities.

#13597 · Core · 5% automatable

Cut materials to specified sizes for installation, using power saws or tile cutters.

physical manipulation — Masonry cutting requires skilled manual work

Cut tile, stone, or other masonry materials.

#13598 · Core · 10% automatable

Erect scaffolding or other installation structures.

physical manipulation — Erecting temporary structures requires physical assembly

Assemble temporary equipment or structures.

#13599 · Core · 6% automatable

Locate and supply materials to masons for installation, following drawings or numbered sequences.

physical manipulation — Physical assisting of skilled trades on site

Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel.

#13605 · Core · 10% automatable

Clean installation surfaces, equipment, tools, work sites, or storage areas, using water, chemical solutions, oxygen lances, or polishing machines.

physical manipulation — Surface preparation is hands-on physical work

Clean surfaces in preparation for work activities.

#13601 · Core · 5% automatable

Apply grout between joints of bricks or tiles, using grouting trowels.

physical manipulation — Applying filler to surfaces is hands-on

Apply material to fill gaps in surfaces.

#13603 · Core · 55% automatable

Modify material moving, mixing, grouting, grinding, polishing, or cleaning procedures, according to installation or material requirements.

decision support — Procedures drafted; human validates feasibility

Determine operational procedures.

#13609 · Core · 6% automatable

Remove damaged tile, brick, or mortar, and clean or prepare surfaces, using pliers, hammers, chisels, drills, wire brushes, or metal wire anchors.

physical manipulation — Surface preparation is hands-on physical work

Clean surfaces in preparation for work activities. Remove worn, damaged or outdated materials from work areas. Prepare surfaces for finishing.

#13608 · Core · 4% automatable

Remove excess grout or residue from tile or brick joints, using sponges or trowels.

physical manipulation — Hands-on removal of excess construction materials

Remove excess materials from finished construction projects.

#13610 · Core · 10% automatable

Arrange or store materials, machines, tools, or equipment.

physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of construction tools

Maintain construction tools or equipment.

#13606 · Core · 7% automatable

Transport materials, tools, or machines to installation sites, manually or using conveyance equipment.

physical manipulation — Manual moving of construction materials on site

Move construction or extraction materials to locations where they are needed.

#13604 · Core · 6% automatable

Provide assistance in the preparation, installation, repair, or rebuilding of tile, brick, or stone surfaces.

physical manipulation — Physical assisting of skilled trades on site

Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel.

#13607 · Core · 10% automatable

Move or position materials such as marble slabs, using cranes, hoists, or dollies.

physical manipulation — Crane/hoist operation demands real-time physical control

Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.

#13611 · Core · 10% automatable

Apply caulk, sealants, or other agents to installed surfaces.

physical manipulation — Applying sealants requires hands-on coating

Apply sealants or other protective coatings.

#13602 · Core · 5% automatable

Correct surface imperfections or fill chipped, cracked, or broken bricks or tiles, using fillers, adhesives, or grouting materials.

physical manipulation — Applying filler to surfaces is hands-on

Apply material to fill gaps in surfaces.

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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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