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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Riggers

Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

Also called: Gantry Rigger, Hand Rigger, Heavy Lift Rigger, Machinery Erector, Machinery Mover, Marine Rigger

Median pay in Greater Boston
$53,110
$25.53/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
160
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.1%
30 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$35,370$45,820$53,110$68,410$97,880

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
  • Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.
  • Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment.
  • Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques.
  • Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.
  • Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure9 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 9
  • Language-model AIOE 8
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 10

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with choosing gear or planning around load weights and schedules. Directing crews, moving heavy loads through tight spaces, and testing rigging for safety depend on people on site.

Likely to change

  • Picking gear for load weights and sizes
  • Planning lifts around work schedules

Still relies on people

  • Directing crews during hoisting and moving
  • Testing rigging and judging safety on site

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Crane and Tower Operators

    Your hoisting and load experience carries over to operating cranes. This job has 16.1% projected growth and a $98,140 median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$45,030 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +16.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Working with heavy loads and aligning materials carry over. This apprenticeship path has a Boston median pay of $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$67,730 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Construction Laborers

    Construction site experience and working with equipment carry over. It pays a median of $63,420 and needs only short-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$10,310 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +9.5%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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