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Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-5011
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$58,620
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
2,100
Proj. Annual Openings
10,590
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-2.2%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 47-5011 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 55/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $58,620
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,100
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +0.5%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,538 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlCritical ThinkingSpeakingMonitoring
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure1.2%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
10%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI0%
AI ability · AIOE29.9%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne80%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Critical Thinking
4.Speaking
5.Monitoring
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Rig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud or fluid through drill hole.
Common titles: Derrick Hand, Derrick Man, Derrick Operator, Derrick Worker, Floor Hand
Representative Tasks
- •Inspect derricks, or order their inspection, prior to being raised or lowered.
- •Inspect derricks for flaws, and clean and oil derricks to maintain proper working conditions.
- •Control the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid.
- •Repair pumps, mud tanks, and related equipment.
- •Set and bolt crown blocks to posts at tops of derricks.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Inspect equipment or tools to be used in construction or excavation.
- •Maintain drilling equipment.
- •Clean equipment or facilities.
- •Mix substances or compounds needed for work activities.
- •Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft Word · hot
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
1.2%
Avg AI Exposure
12
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 47-5011: 2019 — employment: 12,110, median wage: $46,990; 2020 — employment: 9,350, median wage: $47,920; 2021 — employment: 7,880, median wage: $47,230; 2022 — employment: 10,950, median wage: $51,220; 2023 — employment: 11,510, median wage: $58,210; 2025 — employment: 10,590, median wage: $58,620.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 70% Bright |
| Median Salary | $58,620 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |