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Motorboat Operators
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-5022
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$47,520
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
300
Proj. Annual Openings
2,480
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+2.6%/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 53-5022 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
- 54/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $47,520
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +1.4%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 353 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operation and ControlOperations MonitoringSpeakingMonitoringEquipment Maintenance
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. Exposure0.2%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
14.2%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI0%
AI ability · AIOE42.5%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne62%
Top Skills
1.Operation and Control
2.Operations Monitoring
3.Speaking
4.Monitoring
5.Equipment Maintenance
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 small motor-driven boats. May assist in navigational activities.
Common titles: Boat Operator, Crew Boat Operator, Harbor Pilot, Launch Operator, Launchman, Motorboat Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses.
- •Direct safety operations in emergency situations.
- •Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure.
- •Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids.
- •Organize and direct the activities of crew members.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Operate ships or other watercraft.
- •Direct emergency management activities.
- •Secure watercraft to docks, wharves or other vessels.
- •Navigate water vessels.
- •Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
Tools & Technologies
Autopilot softwareCartography softwareEcho sounder softwareGlobal positioning system GPS softwareRadar softwareRoam Devices Roam Marine Monitor HubSEA.AI Offshore ONEWeb browser software
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.8%
Avg AI Exposure
6
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 53-5022: 2019 — employment: 2,120, median wage: $48,260; 2020 — employment: 2,380, median wage: $55,910; 2021 — employment: 2,740, median wage: $38,670; 2022 — employment: 3,110, median wage: $41,430; 2023 — employment: 2,710, median wage: $46,420; 2025 — employment: 2,480, median wage: $47,520.
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% | 0.2% |
| Outlook | Average | 20% Bright |
| Median Salary | $47,520 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |