Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Apply theory and principles of civil engineering in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities under the direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
68,520 people do this job in the US. $64,950 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 77%
- 2%
- 21%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 15%. Today's estimate: 21%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft detailed dimensional drawings and design layouts for projects to ensure conformance to specifications.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 27% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Develop plans and estimate costs for installation of systems, utilization of facilities, or construction of structures.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 19% | 1 work day2.5 h to 3.1 work days | 5%Half by Oct 2027 | |
| Analyze proposed site factors and design maps, graphs, tracings, and diagrams to illustrate findings.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 23%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Plan and conduct field surveys to locate new sites and analyze details of project sites.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Inspect project site and evaluate contractor work to detect design malfunctions and ensure conformance to design specifications and applicable codes.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Calculate dimensions, square footage, profile and component specifications, and material quantities, using calculator or computer.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Prepare reports and document project activities and data.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | 66%Half by now | |
| Read and review project blueprints and structural specifications to determine dimensions of structure or system and material requirements.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Conduct materials test and analysis, using tools and equipment and applying engineering knowledge.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Confer with supervisor to determine project details such as plan preparation, acceptance testing, and evaluation of field conditions.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop project budgets by estimating the cost of project activities.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 2% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Report maintenance problems occurring at project site to supervisor and negotiate changes to resolve system conflicts.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 0.9% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Architectural and Civil Drafters22% now, 87% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians16% now, 49% by 2028
- Construction Managers11% now, 53% by 2028
- Construction and Building Inspectors24% now, 48% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters38% now, 83% by 2028
- Mechanical Drafters24% now, 95% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).