Tower crane operator
Also called tower crane driver, tower-crane operator, tower crane operative
Tower crane operators work with tower cranes, tall balance cranes consisting of a horizontal jib mounted on a vertical mast, along with the necessary motors and lifting hook attached to the jib. Operators control the crane from within a control cabin, or use radio control.
What you'd do
Crane, hoist and related plant operators · ILO- Operating and monitoring stationary or mobile cranes by raising and lowering jibs and booms, to lift, move, position or place equipment and materials
- Operating and monitoring equipment for hoisting, lowering or raising workers and materials on construction sites or in mines
- Operating and monitoring ski-lifts and similar equipment
- Operating and monitoring machinery used to haul ferry or barge with goods, passengers and vehicles across short stretches of water
- Operating and monitoring machinery to open and close bridge for the passage of road and water traffic
- Operating and monitoring cranes equipped with dredging attachments to dredge waterways and other areas
- Operating cranes mounted on boats or barges to lift, move and place equipment and materials
- Indoors and outdoors
- Sitting most of the day
- Constant contact with people, including the public
- Good freedom to decide
- Often more than 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects13 EU countries are short of crane, hoist and related plant operators now, but fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,100 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among plant and machine operators, and assemblers in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.18 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 7 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for crane, hoist and related plant operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).