Who's on the clock?

What can refuse and recyclable material collectors switch to?

The closest match is helpers for painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons, paying about 19% less at the median. 8 jobs in all use similar skills with less of the shift touched by AI or robots.

Time card for helpers for painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons: 26m of an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robotsTime card: Helpers for Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons →

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What can refuse and recyclable material collectors switch to? AI or robots touch about 5h 14m of a typical 8-hour shift for refuse and recyclable material collectors, nearly all of it on tasks AI or robots have done on their own somewhere. The jobs below use many of the same skills, and less of their day is touched today. The closest fit is helpers for painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons: 26m touched, with median pay 19% lower.

Matches come from O*NET's ratings of the skills, knowledge and work activities each job uses. "To build up" lists the skills each option rates as clearly more important than refuse and recyclable material collectors do today. "Touched" is time on tasks with documented AI use or robots working in real workplaces. Treat these as starting points: pay, openings and requirements differ by state.

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HumanWith AIAIRobot
  1. Helpers for Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco MasonsVery close skills · 26m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $40k · +1.5% by 2035 · little or no preparationShared skills: Repairing, Equipment Maintenance, TroubleshootingNo big skill gaps
  2. Machine Feeders and OffbearersVery close skills · 3h 26m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $41k · -13.1% by 2035 · high school diploma, some trainingShared skills: Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Operation and ControlTo build up: Monitoring
  3. Quarry Rock SplittersVery close skills · 0m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $49k · +5.8% by 2035 · little or no preparationShared skills: Operation and Control, Equipment Maintenance, Operations MonitoringNo big skill gaps
  4. TapersVery close skills · 3h 41m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $68k · -1.6% by 2035 · high school diploma, some trainingShared skills: Troubleshooting, Operation and ControlNo big skill gaps
  5. Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems InspectorsVery close skills · 0m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $92k · +2.2% by 2035 · high school diploma, some trainingShared skills: Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Operation and ControlTo build up: Quality Control Analysis, Troubleshooting
  6. Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine OperatorsVery close skills · 1h 50m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $58k · -5.3% by 2035 · high school diploma, some trainingShared skills: Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, TroubleshootingTo build up: Monitoring
  7. Sewing Machine OperatorsVery close skills · 19m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $37k · -15.1% by 2035 · little or no preparationShared skills: Operation and Control, Equipment Maintenance, Operations MonitoringTo build up: Monitoring
  8. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground MiningVery close skills · 2h 16m touched (vs 5h 14m) · $75k · -15.8% by 2035 · high school diploma, some trainingShared skills: Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Operation and ControlTo build up: Troubleshooting

Before you switch

See the full time card for refuse and recyclable material collectors first: many tasks there still need a person, and learning AI tools for the rest can be its own way forward. For pay where you live, open any job above and pick your state.