Browse Skills hydraulics

hydraulics

🏛️ Enduring ESCO reuse: cross-sector

The power transmission systems that use the force of flowing liquids to transmit power.

hydraulics — the power transmission systems that use the force of flowing liquids to transmit power. McKinsey's Skill Change Index places it in the enduring band (SCI 14.25/100) — a human-connection anchor whose value is projected to hold or grow through 2030. ESCO classifies it as a cross-sector (useful across many industries) skill within knowledge. It is currently listed by 30 occupations in our catalogue, including Firefighters, pipe welder, firefighter instructor, and industrial firefighter.

Category: knowledge › mechanics and metal trades SCI: 14.25/100 Also known as: principles of hydraulic transmissions, field of hydraulic transmissions, field of hydraulics, science of hydraulics, characteristics of hydraulics, fundamentals of hydraulic transmissions

Occupations that require hydraulics

Showing top 20 of 30 occupations · ranked by India employment volume, then AI-durability.

Firefighters 👥 180,000 · 🤖 2.3/10
pipe welder · 🤖 3.0/10
firefighter instructor · 🤖 3.6/10
industrial firefighter · 🤖 3.9/10
marine firefighter · 🤖 3.9/10
Industrial machinery mechanics · 🤖 4.5/10
diesel engine mechanic · 🤖 4.6/10
cocoa press operator · 🤖 5.0/10
drainage engineer · 🤖 5.0/10
fire service vehicle operator · 🤖 5.0/10
fluid power engineer · 🤖 5.0/10
fluid power technician · 🤖 5.0/10
heating and ventilation service installer · 🤖 5.0/10
heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration engineering technician · 🤖 5.0/10
heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer · 🤖 5.0/10
hydroelectric plant operator · 🤖 5.0/10
land-based machinery technician · 🤖 5.0/10
lift installation supervisor · 🤖 5.0/10
lift technician · 🤖 5.0/10
nuclear reactor operator · 🤖 5.0/10

Frequently asked questions

What is hydraulics?

The power transmission systems that use the force of flowing liquids to transmit power.

What category of skill is hydraulics?

ESCO classifies hydraulics under the knowledge category, specifically in the mechanics and metal trades subcategory.

Is hydraulics an AI-durable skill?

McKinsey's Skill Change Index places it in the enduring band (SCI 14.25/100) — a human-connection anchor whose value is projected to hold or grow through 2030. This is a durable skill to invest in — high human-connection skills consistently resist automation.

Which jobs require hydraulics?

In our catalogue, 30 occupations list hydraulics as a required or important skill. The top occupations by employment volume include Firefighters, pipe welder, firefighter instructor, industrial firefighter, marine firefighter, Industrial machinery mechanics.

How transferable is hydraulics between industries?

ESCO tags hydraulics as a cross-sector (useful across many industries) skill — a signal of how portable it is when you change field.

Is hydraulics the same as principles of hydraulic transmissions?

Yes — hydraulics is also known as principles of hydraulic transmissions, field of hydraulic transmissions, field of hydraulics, science of hydraulics, characteristics of hydraulics, fundamentals of hydraulic transmissions, science of hydraulic transmissions, or fundamentals of hydraulics. They refer to the same underlying capability in the ESCO taxonomy.

How can I learn hydraulics?

The most reliable path is to pick a job or project that demands hydraulics and learn through delivery. Complement that with role-specific roadmaps and short courses. Explore the occupations below to see where this skill is used in practice.

Data: ESCO v1.2.1 (CC-BY-4.0). Durability framework informed by McKinsey Global Institute (Nov 2025). See our methodology.