Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Manufacturing Engineers
Occupation · SOC 17-2112.03
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
Also called: Manufacturing Engineer · Plant Engineer · Process Engineer · Process Improvement Engineer · Facility Engineer · Advance Manufacturing Engineer · Automation Engineer · Design Engineer · Engineer · Foundry Process Engineer · Lean Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing Applications Engineer
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-2112-03/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+11.0% by 2034)
- 25,200 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $101,140/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (18th), high AI task-overlap now (85th)
85th-percentile task overlap — yet about 25,200 openings a year (+11% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
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.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 80th | 1.1 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 81st | 0.9 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 81st | 0.3 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), 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.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 18th percentile among occupations · Low
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.
| Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing. | 0.7% | |
| Design, install, or troubleshoot manufacturing equipment. | 0.3% | |
| Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +11.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 25,200 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 351,100 → 389,600 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Manufacturing Engineers sits at the 68th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
37% mean task exposure (2025)
68th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+4 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial and Production Engineers · 2141 | 37% | Minimal |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes. Core · importance 4.3
- Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks. Core · importance 4.3
- Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts. Core · importance 4.2
- Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness. Core · importance 4.2
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing. Core · importance 4.0
- Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations. Core · importance 4.0
- Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures. Core · importance 3.9
- Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness. Core · importance 3.9
- Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance. Core · importance 3.9
- Design layout of equipment or workspaces to achieve maximum efficiency. Core · importance 3.8
- Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures. Core · importance 3.8
- Communicate manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, or other information to facilitate production processes. Core · importance 3.8
- Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff, or other engineers. Core · importance 3.6
- Design, install, or troubleshoot manufacturing equipment. Core · importance 3.6
- Evaluate manufactured products according to specifications and quality standards. Core · importance 3.6
- Estimate costs, production times, or staffing requirements for new designs. Core · importance 3.6
- Train production personnel in new or existing methods. Core · importance 3.6
- Design tests of finished products or process capabilities to establish standards or validate process requirements. Core · importance 3.5
- Analyze the financial impacts of sustainable manufacturing processes or sustainable product manufacturing. Core · importance 3.4
- Develop sustainable manufacturing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize raw material use, replace toxic materials with non-toxic materials, replace non-renewable materials with renewable materials, or reduce waste. Core · importance 3.3
- Purchase equipment, materials, or parts. Core · importance 3.3
- Evaluate current or proposed manufacturing processes or practices for environmental sustainability, considering factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water pollution, energy use, or waste creation. Core · importance 3.1
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, participate in educational programs, attend meetings or workshops, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the manufacturing field. Core · importance 3.1
- Redesign packaging for manufactured products to minimize raw material use or waste. Supplemental · importance 2.6
Work activities
- Determine operational methods.
- Create graphical representations of industrial production systems.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Determine causes of operational problems or failures.
- Install production equipment or systems.
- Design industrial equipment.
- Estimate operational costs.
- Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
- Estimate time requirements for development or production projects.
- Assess product or process usefulness.
- Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
- Resolve operational performance problems.
- Prepare procedural documents.
- Purchase materials, equipment, or other resources.
- Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
- Prepare operational reports.
- Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
- Update technical knowledge.
- Supervise production or support personnel.
- Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
- Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
- Design industrial processing systems.
- Investigate the environmental impact of projects.
- Develop operational methods or processes that use green materials or emphasize sustainability.
- Implement design or process improvements.
- Develop technical methods or processes.
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
- Devise research or testing protocols.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Production and Processing | 4.4 | |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.4 | |
| Mechanical | 4.1 | |
| Design | 4.0 | |
| Mathematics | 4.0 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.8 | |
| English Language | 3.8 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Mathematics | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Speaking | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | |
| Writing | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Active Learning | 3.6 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.8 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.8 | |
| Technology Design | 3.6 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.5 | |
| Time Management | 3.5 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 4.0 | |
| Visualization | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.9 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Number Facility | 3.8 | |
| Written Expression | 3.6 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.6 | |
| Originality | 3.6 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.6 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.5 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 47.
Tools & technology
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: 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.
| Bachelor's Degree | 76.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 16.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 4.0% | |
| First Professional Degree | 4.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Engineering | 6.3 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.6 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.5 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.7 | |
| Information Technology | 2.7 | |
| Physical Science | 2.4 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.3 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.3 | |
| Investigative | 4.5 | |
| Conventional | 4.4 | |
| Enterprising | 3.1 | |
| Artistic | 2.2 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 5.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 4.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 3.0 | |
| Innovation | 2.4 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $70,000 |
| 25th percentile | $81,910 |
| Median (50th) | $101,140 |
| 75th percentile | $127,480 |
| 90th percentile | $157,140 |
| People employed | 350,230 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 17-2112), not for the specialty alone.
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.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 237,030 | $100,060 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 50,290 | $106,420 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 20,150 | $101,930 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 15,770 | $115,210 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 15,570 | $101,700 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 7,860 | $97,440 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 4,630 | $102,360 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 3,050 | $83,820 |
| Information · Sector | 2,170 | $128,220 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 2,110 | $148,850 |
| Construction · Sector | 2,000 | $96,320 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 1,380 | $92,320 |
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).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 11.96× | 4,630 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 8.18× | 237,030 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 7.67× | 20,150 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 5.17× | 3,050 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 2.47× | 15,770 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 2.06× | 50,290 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 1.62× | 2,110 |
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 1.42× | 120 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.
- Industrial Engineers · 17-2112.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineers · 17-2141.00 Compare →
- Industrial Production Managers · 11-3051.00 Compare →
- Mechatronics Engineers · 17-2199.05 Compare →
- Chemical Engineers · 17-2041.00 Compare →
- Automotive Engineers · 17-2141.02 Compare →
- Materials Engineers · 17-2131.00 Compare →
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer · 17-2072.00 Compare →
- Validation Engineers · 17-2112.02 Compare →
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists · 17-2112.01 Compare →
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3026.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3027.00 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 Manufacturing Engineers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering · field of study
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 68th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Manufacturing Engineers show 85th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 25,200 annual U.S. openings
- Manufacturing Engineers rank in the 85th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 25,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+11%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $101,140, across about 350,230 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Manufacturing Engineers show 85th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 25,200 annual U.S. openings • Manufacturing Engineers rank in the 85th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 25,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+11%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $101,140, across about 350,230 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Manufacturing Engineers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2112-03 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
Plain
Singulariki. "Manufacturing Engineers." 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/roles/role-17-2112-03
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Manufacturing Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2112-03
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-2112-03,
title = {Manufacturing Engineers},
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/roles/role-17-2112-03}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.