Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.
43,140 people do this job in the US. $58,160 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 14%
- 2%
- 84%
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, 11%. Today's estimate: 12%.
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 . 19 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 16% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Operate pumps that circulate water, oil, or other fluids through wells to remove sand or other materials obstructing the free flow of oil.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Direct drilling crews performing activities such as assembling and connecting pipe, applying weights to drill pipes, or drilling around lodged obstacles.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Apply green technologies or techniques, such as the use of coiled tubing, slim-hole drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, or gas lift systems.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Close and seal wells no longer in use.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Select fishing methods or tools for removing obstacles such as liners, broken casing, screens, or drill pipe.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Examine unserviceable wells to determine actions to be taken to improve well conditions.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Drive truck-mounted units to well sites.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Operate specialized equipment to remove obstructions by backing off or severing pipes by chemical or explosive action.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 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.
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas5% now, 5% by 2028
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas0% now, 0% by 2028
- Wellhead Pumpers15% now, 15% by 2028
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers42% now, 47% by 2028
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas11% now, 14% by 2028
- Helpers--Extraction Workers0% now, 0% 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).