Gas Plant Operators
Production · SOC 51-8092
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-8092 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 7.2%
- Medium · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 61/100
- High friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $87,820
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 1,500
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -8.8%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,206 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- 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.
Best transitions from here
Explore all pathways→Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
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
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
Common titles: Compressor Technician (Compressor Tech), Engine Room Operator, Gas Controller, Gas Dispatcher, Gas Plant Operator, Gas Resource Control Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Monitor equipment functioning, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure that all equipment is operating as it should.
- •Distribute or process gas for utility companies or industrial plants, using panel boards, control boards, and semi-automatic equipment.
- •Control operation of compressors, scrubbers, evaporators, and refrigeration equipment to liquefy, compress, or regasify natural gas.
- •Control equipment to regulate flow and pressure of gas to feedlines of boilers, furnaces, and related steam-generating or heating equipment.
- •Record, review, and compile operations records, test results, and gauge readings such as temperatures, pressures, concentrations, and flows.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
- •Inspect production equipment.
- •Operate natural gas distribution equipment.
- •Record operational or production data.
- •Advise others on ways to improve processes or products.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 7.2% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $87,820 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 93/100 | N/A |