Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Computer and Information Research Scientists
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists and Computer and Information Research Scientists 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.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists | Computer and Information Research Scientists |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $101,140 | $140,910 |
| Employment | 350,230 | 38,480 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | Growing fast (+11.0%) | Growing fast (+19.7%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 25,200 | 3,200 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). | Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | High · 81st pct | Moderate · 58th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 68th pct · 37% of tasks | — |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | Augmentation-leaning (57.2%) | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | Yes | — |
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: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, English Language, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Fluency of Ideas, Problem Sensitivity, Information Ordering, Design, Engineering and Technology, Active Learning, Category Flexibility, Judgment and Decision Making, Systems Evaluation, Originality, Speech Clarity, Mathematics, Mathematics, Monitoring, Mathematical Reasoning, Near Vision, Speech Recognition, Science, Operations Analysis, Systems Analysis, Number Facility, Visualization.
Specific to Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
- Psychology
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Social Perceptiveness
- Learning Strategies
Specific to Computer and Information Research Scientists
- Computers and Electronics
- Programming
- Time Management
- Administration and Management
- Technology Design
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: Web platform development software , Object or component oriented development software , Enterprise application integration software , Analytical or scientific software , Operating system software , Development environment software , Graphical user interface development software .
Specific to Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
Specific to Computer and Information Research Scientists
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists or Computer and Information Research Scientists — 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.
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Industrial Engineers
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Validation Engineers
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Data Scientists
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Health Informatics Specialists
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Robotics Engineers
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Mechatronics Engineers
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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Computer and Information Research Scientists." 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/human-factors-engineers-and-ergonomists-vs-computer-and-information-research-scientists
Singulariki. (2026). Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Computer and Information Research Scientists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/human-factors-engineers-and-ergonomists-vs-computer-and-information-research-scientists
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title = {Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists vs Computer and Information Research Scientists},
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/human-factors-engineers-and-ergonomists-vs-computer-and-information-research-scientists}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.