Job Check
Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Help plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, or pipelayers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Fit or assist in fitting valves, couplings, or assemblies to tanks, pumps, or systems, using hand tools.Mostly human for now
- 02Mount brackets and hangers on walls and ceilings to hold pipes, and set sleeves or inserts to provide support for pipes.Mostly human for now
- 03Perform rough-ins, repair and replace fixtures and water heaters, and locate, repair, or remove leaking or broken pipes.Mostly human for now
- 04Cut pipe and lift up to fitters.Mostly human for now
- 05Measure, cut, thread and assemble new pipe, placing the assembled pipe in hangers or other supports.Mostly human for now
- 06Assist pipe fitters in the layout, assembly, and installation of piping for air, ammonia, gas, and water systems.Mostly human for now
- 07Requisition tools and equipment, select type and size of pipe, and collect and transport materials and equipment to work site.Mostly human for now
- 08Disassemble and remove damaged or worn pipe.Mostly human for now
- 09Cut or drill holes in walls or floors to accommodate the passage of pipes.Mostly human for now
- 10Clean shop, work area, and machines, using solvent and rags.Mostly human for now
Tasks from O*NET® 31.0 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0, changed by us), most important first. “Already use” comes from Anthropic’s data on real work chats with Claude; “could speed up” from task ratings made with GPT-4 in 2023.
Four studies, side by side
None is a forecast of job lossToo little dataNot enough work use was seen to measure. This does not mean the job is safe from AI.Anthropic, 2026
0%of this job’s tasks an AI model could do in half the time, counting tasks that need extra tools as half (rated in 2023).Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, 2023
Above 14% of jobsin how often and how well AI helped with this job’s work in Microsoft Copilot chats (2024 data).Microsoft Research (Tomlinson et al.), 2025
Above 76% of jobsin how much of this job’s physical work robots have been shown to do, from factories to homes (2026).Anthropic, 2026
Your human edge
The main tasks with no real AI use seen and no big speed-up expected. This is where your skill counts most today.
- Fit or assist in fitting valves, couplings, or assemblies to tanks, pumps, or systems, using hand tools.
- Mount brackets and hangers on walls and ceilings to hold pipes, and set sleeves or inserts to provide support for pipes.
- Perform rough-ins, repair and replace fixtures and water heaters, and locate, repair, or remove leaking or broken pipes.