Will AI replace reinforcing iron and rebar workers?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5.3% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 6 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools. (2h 55m a shift)
• Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers. (2h 30m a shift)
• Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions. (37m a shift)
• Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches. (37m a shift)
• Place blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors. (31m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 86% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 79% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 64% spend more than half the day walking or moving

On Indeed, job postings in the Construction sector are at 129% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 6.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 1,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $58,970 a year ($28.35 an hour), 16% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $43,310 and $104,540 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 5.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 16,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 1,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 14,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 613th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 16,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is less than a high school diploma: about 37% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Coordination, Critical Thinking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Unload rebar from trucks.
• Use forklifts or cranes to move construction material, such as rebar.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (2h 5m touched, $76k median pay)
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (46m touched, $59k median pay)
• Helpers for Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters (2h 46m touched, $48k median pay)
• Glaziers (37m touched, $57k median pay)
• Tile and Stone Setters (58m touched, $56k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 7 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.