Civil Engineers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 30% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 74% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 25% of the time, stays with people.
Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
367,840 people do this job in the US. $100,840 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on0 h
- A person checks AI's work12 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet18 h
- Stays with people10 h
Civil Engineers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 12 hours become checking its work, 18 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 10 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Compute loads and flows (about 2 h, a person checks); Analyze surveys and maps (about 2 h, a person checks); Direct engineering work (about 2 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 75%
- 0%
- 10%
- 8%
- 7%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 30% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
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, 4%. Today's estimate: 30%.
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.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 261st largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 16 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.016% to 0.011% (released February and March 2025); 0.015% to 0.016% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.034% to 0.032% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.016% | 475 of 708 | 4 of 16 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.011% | 492 of 703 | 3 of 16 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.015% | 404 of 655 | 3 of 16 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.013% | 441 of 672 | 3 of 16 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.016% | 430 of 677 | 3 of 16 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.034% | 253 of 434 | 1 of 16 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.032% | 261 of 447 | 1 of 16 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 10% of this job's working time as physical work. For 10% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 10% in any setting. 0.29 of 3, the 391st highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 90%
- In any setting 10%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
25% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Direct engineering work, the conversation, 9%
- Manage the project site, the in-person work, 7%
- Test soils and materials, the hands-on work, 2%
- Inspect project sites, the hands-on work, 2%
- Survey and lay out the site, the hands-on work, 2%
- Advise on design and repairs, the conversation, 2%
What becomes checking the machine
73% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it.
- Design transport and hydraulic systems, a licensed person signs, 21%
- Design environmentally sound structures, a licensed person signs, 10%
- Analyze surveys and maps, costly if wrong, 8%
- Compute loads and flows, a licensed person signs, 7%
- Direct engineering work, a licensed person signs, 6%
- Study traffic and site conditions, costly if wrong, 5%
What to learn
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Signing off under your license. Some tasks need a licensed, certified or sworn person to do or sign them. The license, and the judgment it stands for, stays with the person.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 75% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
- The conversations. About 18% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.Design work in CAD.Done daily by most who do it. | 21% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | Documents 100% | 18%Half by Jun 2027 |
| Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.Directing the team, mostly in conversation, and reviewing the work.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 28%Desk part half by now |
| Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.On site directing the work, with the plans and reports.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | In person 60%, documents 40% | 18%Desk part half by Dec 2026 |
| Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.Design work at the desk.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | Documents 100% | 18%Half by Jun 2027 |
| Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.Reading and analyzing the site data.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Documents 100% | 71%Half by now |
| Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.Calculations at the desk.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.7 work days | Documents 100% | 84%Half by now |
| Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.Field observation and the analysis.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 work days5 h to 1.7 work weeks | Documents 80%, hands-on 20% | 12%Desk part half by Aug 2027 |
| Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.Sampling and testing, with the results worked up.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | Hands-on 60%, documents 40% | 18%Desk part half by Dec 2026 |
| Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.Takeoffs and costing at the desk.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 3.3 work days | Documents 100% | 59%Half by now |
| Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.Surveying on the ground and working up the points.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Hands-on 60%, documents 40% | 22%Desk part half by now |
| Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.Conversations with managers, with the analysis behind them.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 35%Desk part half by now |
| Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions.Writing the report and presenting it at the public meeting.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Documents 80%, in person 20% | 27%Desk part half by Mar 2027 |
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. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% 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.
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).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Civil Engineers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 30% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 74% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (63% to 75% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Civil Engineers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Compute loads and flows (84% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028); Analyze surveys and maps (71% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028); and Direct engineering work (28% of the task's time now, 40% by the end of 2028).
- Which tasks of Civil Engineers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Inspect project sites. Together such tasks are about 2% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Civil Engineers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are judgment where errors are severe; reviewing work you did not do yourself; and signing off under your license. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 25% of the working time stays with people, 73% becomes checking a model's work and 0% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Civil Engineers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks, the 261st largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 16 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 1%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Civil Engineers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 10% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 10% of the working time, 10% in any setting. Its index is 0.29 of 3. One example: Boston Dynamics Spot (with dock, Autowalk, 360°/laser scan payloads) for "inspect project sites". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 16 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
This job in your state or metro area
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
Your own version of this job
The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
The full personal report is $19, to print or save as a PDF: every task with when it comes within reach, which ones your description names, the parts of your description the task list does not cover, what stays with you, what becomes checking the machine and what to learn.