Pipe fitters
Pipe fitters install pipe systems and maintain and repair pipes in major utilities, industrial and construction settings and sites.
- Employees (UK)
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- Median annual pay
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- Exposure score ?
- 0.1/10 Minimal 1.0/10 Minimal strict reading, with tools is 1.0/10 with-tools reading, strict is 0.1/10
- Wage exposure
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Higher exposure than 11% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means.
Most of this role's work is still hard for AI: physical presence, practised skill, judgement in context and direct care, the things that do not turn into text.
If you are in this role
Nothing here is under pressure today, but the frontier moves. Learn enough to direct AI at the paperwork around the job. People in hands-on roles who can do that become unusually useful inside their organisations.
Most of this role's work is still hard for AI: physical presence, practised skill, judgement in context and direct care, the things that do not turn into text.
If you are in this role
Nothing here is under pressure today, but the frontier moves. Learn enough to direct AI at the paperwork around the job. People in hands-on roles who can do that become unusually useful inside their organisations.
Where the work usually starts.
This role's strict reading is low because its top tasks are judgement, not drafting. The three highest-stakes tasks below are still usually where the work starts. Switch to With tools to see what AI plus the right context can take on.
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Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
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Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
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Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
These are the most important tasks AI can already handle when paired with the right tools and context. The first wins usually come from building workflows around them. That is the difference between a model that could do the job and one that actually does it inside your business.
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Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
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Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.
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Keep records of work assignments.
Every role has three or four places like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days.
Every task in the role.
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can do unaided and what still needs a person. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central each task is.
Tasks via O*NET "Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters" (47-2152.00).
What AI can already do
1 of 30 tasks, unaided
Keep records of work assignments.
What still needs a person
29 of 30 tasks
Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
Plan pipe system layout, installation, or repair, according to specifications.
Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.
Select pipe sizes, types, or related materials, such as supports, hangers, or hydraulic cylinders, according to specifications.
Fill pipes or plumbing fixtures with water or air and observe pressure gauges to detect and locate leaks.
Direct helpers engaged in pipe cutting, preassembly, or installation of plumbing systems or components.
Inspect, examine, or test installed systems or pipe lines, using pressure gauge, hydrostatic testing, observation, or other methods.
Install pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances such as dishwashers or water heaters, or fixtures such as sinks or toilets, using hand or power tools.
Anchor steel supports from ceiling joists to hold pipes in place.
Attach pipes to walls, structures, or fixtures, such as radiators or tanks, using brackets, clamps, tools, or welding equipment.
Modify, clean, or maintain pipe systems, units, fittings, or related machines or equipment, using hand or power tools.
Install automatic controls to regulate pipe systems.
Estimate time, material, or labor costs for use in project plans.
Inspect structures to assess material or equipment needs, to establish the sequence of pipe installations, or to plan installation around obstructions, such as electrical wiring.
Maintain or repair plumbing by replacing defective washers, replacing or mending broken pipes, or opening clogged drains.
Repair or remove and replace system components.
Cut openings in structures to accommodate pipes or pipe fittings, using hand or power tools.
Inspect work sites for obstructions or holes that could cause structural weakness.
Install pipe systems to support alternative energy-fueled systems, such as geothermal heating or cooling systems.
Install fixtures, appliances, or equipment designed to reduce water or energy consumption.
Repair hydraulic or air pumps.
Install green plumbing equipment, such as faucet flow restrictors, dual-flush or pressure-assisted flush toilets, or tankless hot water heaters.
Weld small pipes or special piping, using specialized techniques, equipment, or materials, such as computer-assisted welding or microchip fabrication.
Operate motorized pumps to remove water from flooded manholes, basements, or facility floors.
Tasks via O*NET "Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters" (47-2152.00).
What AI can already do
5 of 30 tasks, with tools
Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.
Keep records of work assignments.
Estimate time, material, or labor costs for use in project plans.
Inspect work sites for obstructions or holes that could cause structural weakness.
What still needs a person
25 of 30 tasks
Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
Plan pipe system layout, installation, or repair, according to specifications.
Select pipe sizes, types, or related materials, such as supports, hangers, or hydraulic cylinders, according to specifications.
Fill pipes or plumbing fixtures with water or air and observe pressure gauges to detect and locate leaks.
Direct helpers engaged in pipe cutting, preassembly, or installation of plumbing systems or components.
Inspect, examine, or test installed systems or pipe lines, using pressure gauge, hydrostatic testing, observation, or other methods.
Install pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances such as dishwashers or water heaters, or fixtures such as sinks or toilets, using hand or power tools.
Anchor steel supports from ceiling joists to hold pipes in place.
Attach pipes to walls, structures, or fixtures, such as radiators or tanks, using brackets, clamps, tools, or welding equipment.
Modify, clean, or maintain pipe systems, units, fittings, or related machines or equipment, using hand or power tools.
Install automatic controls to regulate pipe systems.
Inspect structures to assess material or equipment needs, to establish the sequence of pipe installations, or to plan installation around obstructions, such as electrical wiring.
Maintain or repair plumbing by replacing defective washers, replacing or mending broken pipes, or opening clogged drains.
Repair or remove and replace system components.
Cut openings in structures to accommodate pipes or pipe fittings, using hand or power tools.
Install pipe systems to support alternative energy-fueled systems, such as geothermal heating or cooling systems.
Install fixtures, appliances, or equipment designed to reduce water or energy consumption.
Repair hydraulic or air pumps.
Install green plumbing equipment, such as faucet flow restrictors, dual-flush or pressure-assisted flush toilets, or tankless hot water heaters.
Weld small pipes or special piping, using specialized techniques, equipment, or materials, such as computer-assisted welding or microchip fabrication.
Operate motorized pumps to remove water from flooded manholes, basements, or facility floors.
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Related occupations.
Other roles in Skilled trades occupations, and roles close by exposure.
What it means for your sector.
This role's score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 task labels, weighted by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 through ISCO-08 (the ONS coding index) and US SOC 2010 (the BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional, which covers employees only.
Back to the mapMethodologySources (PDF)Built 29 April 2026
Pictures
- "Census pantograph and 1930s keypunches" by U.S. Census Bureau employees, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Shepard Barclay, St. Louis lawyer, in his office" by Missouri Historical Society via DPLA, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Accountant's Office LCCN2016824374" by National Photo Company Collection, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Employment service in Oulu in the spring 1931" by Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons