Roustabout, Oil and Gas

Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Perform other tasks as needed.

AI will primarily impact roustabouts by accelerating the adoption of robotics and autonomous systems for repetitive and dangerous tasks like heavy lifting and equipment movement on oil and gas sites. This will likely reduce the demand for purely manual labor, shifting the nature of work towards overseeing automated operations and specialized maintenance. Consequently, while complete replacement is unlikely, the number of entry-level roustabout positions may decrease over the next 5-10 years.