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Food Science Technicians vs Microbiologists

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Food Science Technicians and Microbiologists on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Food Science Technicians Microbiologists
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$49,430
$87,330
Employment · BLS OEWS
14,200
19,760
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
28th pct
61st pct

At a glance

Dimension Food Science Technicians Microbiologists
Median pay $49,430 $87,330
Employment 14,200 19,760
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.8%) About average (+4.1%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 3,200 1,700
Typical education · O*NET Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 28th pct Moderate · 61st pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk — 77th pct · 40% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — Augmentation-leaning (56.2%)
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman — No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Near Vision, Reading Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Problem Sensitivity, Chemistry, English Language, Science, Critical Thinking, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Computers and Electronics, Monitoring, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Flexibility of Closure, Selective Attention, Biology, Mathematics, Active Learning, Instructing, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Learning Strategies.

Specific to Food Science Technicians

  • Food Production
  • Production and Processing
  • Visual Color Discrimination
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Perceptual Speed
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Number Facility

Specific to Microbiologists

  • Fluency of Ideas
  • Education and Training
  • Originality
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Service Orientation
  • Systems Analysis

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Presentation software , Word processing software , Operating system software , Data base user interface and query software , Enterprise resource planning ERP software , Analytical or scientific software .

Specific to Food Science Technicians

Specific to Microbiologists

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Food Science Technicians or Microbiologists — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Food Science Technicians vs Microbiologists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/food-science-technicians-vs-microbiologists

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Food Science Technicians vs Microbiologists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/food-science-technicians-vs-microbiologists

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-food-science-technicians-vs-microbiologists,
  title  = {Food Science Technicians vs Microbiologists},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/food-science-technicians-vs-microbiologists}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.