Drywall Installer

O*NET: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers·47-2081.00

The Verdict:Drywall installation demands hands-on work in unique building sites — lifting heavy panels into ceilings and walls, cutting around fixtures, adapting to irregular frames. No robotics handle this physical variability. Augmented tools aid planning and measuring, letting workers cover more ground efficiently. Construction booms sustain demand over the next decade.

Resilience Score

/100

Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$58k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+4.2%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 0 of 26 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
21 of 26 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 19% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

0exposed

5AI leverage

21human-essential

View all 26 tasks

AI Can Handle This0 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

No exposed tasks identified

AI Leverage5 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.

Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.

Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.

Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.

Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.

Human Advantage21 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.

Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.

Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.

Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.

Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.

Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.

Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary.

Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.

Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified.

Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties.

Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation.

Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.

Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers.

Apply or mount acoustical tile or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings or walls of buildings to reduce reflection of sound or to decorate rooms.

Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.

Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.

Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks.

Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.

Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile.

Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile.

Wash concrete surfaces before mounting tile to increase adhesive qualities of surfaces, using washing soda and zinc sulfate solution.

Resilience Landscape

Drywall Installer lands in Stable, Lower Pay

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