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Quality Control Analysts vs Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Quality Control Analysts and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers 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.”

Quality Control Analysts Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$60,130
$102,610
Employment · BLS OEWS
71,400
199,800
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
56th pct
94th pct

At a glance

Dimension Quality Control Analysts Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
Median pay $60,130 $102,610
Employment 71,400 199,800
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+3.5%) Growing fast (+10.0%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 10,600 14,000
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 Moderate · 56th pct High · 94th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 47th pct · 26% of tasks —
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index Automation-leaning (19.2%) —
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: Mathematics, Quality Control Analysis, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Oral Expression, English Language, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Inductive Reasoning, Computers and Electronics, Writing, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Speaking, Active Learning, Information Ordering, Flexibility of Closure, Perceptual Speed, Selective Attention, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Mathematics, Judgment and Decision Making, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation, Time Management, Category Flexibility.

Specific to Quality Control Analysts

  • Production and Processing
  • Chemistry
  • Administrative
  • Far Vision
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Troubleshooting

Specific to Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

  • Programming
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Operations Analysis
  • Coordination
  • Design
  • Fluency of Ideas
  • Originality
  • Learning Strategies

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 , Document management software , Development environment software , Enterprise application integration software , Web platform development software , Data base user interface and query software , Project management software , Operating system software , Program testing software , Internet browser software .

Specific to Quality Control Analysts

Specific to Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Quality Control Analysts or Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers — 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. "Quality Control Analysts vs Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers." 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/quality-control-analysts-vs-software-quality-assurance-analysts-and-testers

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Quality Control Analysts vs Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/quality-control-analysts-vs-software-quality-assurance-analysts-and-testers

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-quality-control-analysts-vs-software-quality-assurance-analysts-and-testers,
  title  = {Quality Control Analysts vs Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers},
  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/quality-control-analysts-vs-software-quality-assurance-analysts-and-testers}
}

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