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Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-5013
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$58,160
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
8,700
Proj. Annual Openings
43,140
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-3%/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 47-5013 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
- 60/100
- High friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $58,160
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 8,700
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +0.4%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 10,978 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringCritical ThinkingOperation and ControlMonitoringActive Listening
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.
15.6%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI6.5%
AI ability · AIOE40.4%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne93%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Critical Thinking
3.Operation and Control
4.Monitoring
5.Active Listening
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
Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.
Common titles: Pulling Unit Operator, Reverse Unit Operator, Rig Operator, Service Operator, Service Rig Operator, Tool Pusher
Representative Tasks
- •Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools.
- •Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs.
- •Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions.
- •Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes.
- •Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Inspect equipment or tools to be used in construction or excavation.
- •Maintain extraction or excavation equipment.
- •Monitor extraction operations.
- •Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- •Prepare operational reports.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotMicrosoft SharePoint · hotSAP software · hotComputerized maintenance management system CMMS
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 47-5013: 2019 — employment: 51,760, median wage: $46,740; 2020 — employment: 43,840, median wage: $47,380; 2021 — employment: 32,870, median wage: $48,410; 2022 — employment: 36,320, median wage: $50,140; 2023 — employment: 46,150, median wage: $55,750; 2025 — employment: 43,140, median wage: $58,160.
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 | $58,160 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |