Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.8), with simple added tooling (β 0.9), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content. Core · importance 4.7
• Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers. Core · importance 4.7
• Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability. Core · importance 4.5
• Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures. Core · importance 4.3
• Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards. Core · importance 4.3
• Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality. Core · importance 4.3
• Install, maintain, or use software testing programs. Core · importance 4.3
• Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. Core · importance 4.2
• Create or maintain databases of known test defects. Core · importance 4.2
• Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness. Core · importance 4.1
• Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes. Core · importance 4.1
• Update automated test scripts to ensure currency. Core · importance 4.1
• Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems. Core · importance 4.0
• Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates. Core · importance 4.0
• Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations. Core · importance 4.0
• Conduct software compatibility tests with programs, hardware, operating systems, or network environments. Core · importance 3.9
• Investigate customer problems referred by technical support. Core · importance 3.8
• Review software documentation to ensure technical accuracy, compliance, or completeness, or to mitigate risks. Core · importance 3.7
• Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance. Core · importance 3.7
• Perform initial debugging procedures by reviewing configuration files, logs, or code pieces to determine breakdown source. Core · importance 3.7
• Design or develop automated testing tools. Core · importance 3.6
• Install and configure recreations of software production environments to allow testing of software performance. Core · importance 3.5
• Collaborate with field staff or customers to evaluate or diagnose problems and recommend possible solutions. Core · importance 3.3
• Coordinate user or third-party testing. Core · importance 3.3
• Visit beta testing sites to evaluate software performance. Core · importance 3.3
• Conduct historical analyses of test results. Core · importance 3.3
• Evaluate or recommend software for testing or bug tracking. Core · importance 3.3
• Modify existing software to correct errors, allow it to adapt to new hardware, or to improve its performance.
• Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, or humidity in area of system installation.
• Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.

Work activities

• Develop testing routines or procedures.
• Test computer system operations to ensure proper functioning.
• Compile technical information or documentation.
• Report maintenance or equipment problems to appropriate personnel.
• Analyze data to identify or resolve operational problems.
• Troubleshoot issues with computer applications or systems.
• Document operational activities.
• Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
• Create databases to store electronic data.
• Develop detailed project plans.
• Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
• Manage documentation to ensure organization or accuracy.
• Document design or development procedures.
• Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
• Provide customer service to clients or users.
• Install computer software.
• Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
• Test software performance.
• Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.
• Read documents to gather technical information.
• Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies.
• Analyze data to identify trends or relationships among variables.
• Modify software programs to improve performance.
• Provide recommendations to others about computer hardware.
• Assess database performance.
• Prepare data for analysis.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Essential skills

Abilities

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Linux Specialized Skill
• Github Specialized Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Unix Shell Specialized Skill
• Unix Specialized Skill
• Transact-SQL Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Spring Framework Specialized Skill
• Spring Boot Specialized Skill
• Shell Script Specialized Skill
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Specialized Skill
• PostgreSQL Specialized Skill
• Node.js Specialized Skill
• NoSQL Specialized Skill
• MySQL Specialized Skill
• MongoDB Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Windows Common Skill
• Microsoft Visual Studio Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Visio Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Teams Specialized Skill
• Microsoft SharePoint Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Project Specialized Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Access Specialized Skill
• Junit Specialized Skill

Showing the top 40 of 158.

Tools & technology

Showing the top 40 of 429.

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Education

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Typical entry-level education

Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Preparation level

SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services , Engineering , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Interest areas

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Digital Technology career cluster.

• Software Developers · 15-1252.00 Compare →
• Validation Engineers · 17-2112.02 Compare →
• Computer Systems Engineers/Architects · 15-1299.08 Compare →
• Penetration Testers · 15-1299.04 Compare →
• Computer Systems Analysts · 15-1211.00 Compare →
• Database Architects · 15-1243.00 Compare →
• Computer Programmers · 15-1251.00 Compare →
• Computer Hardware Engineers · 17-2061.00 Compare →
• Blockchain Engineers · 15-1299.07 Compare →
• Information Security Engineers · 15-1299.05 Compare →
• Database Administrators · 15-1242.00 Compare →
• Data Warehousing Specialists · 15-1243.01 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

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

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

@misc{singulariki-role-15-1253-00,
  title  = {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. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1253-00}
}