Riggers
Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.
22,530 people do this job in the US. $62,640 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 7%
- 0%
- 93%
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, 6%. Today's estimate: 7%.
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Align, level, and anchor machinery.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 h17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Fabricate, set up, and repair rigging, supporting structures, hoists, and pulling gear, using hand and power tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials, such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | 96%Half by now | |
| Attach pulleys and blocks to fixed overhead structures, such as beams, ceilings, and gin pole booms, using bolts and clamps.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Load machines onto trucks to prepare for transportation.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people |
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.
- Hoist and Winch Operators0% now, 0% by 2028
- Crane and Tower Operators8% now, 8% by 2028
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines5% now, 5% by 2028
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators0% now, 0% by 2028
- Millwrights0% now, 0% by 2028
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers4% now, 4% 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).