Occupation · SOC 17-3026.00
Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff. May perform time and motion studies on worker operations in a variety of industries for purposes such as establishing standard production rates or improving efficiency.
Also called: Industrial Engineering Technician · Manufacturing Technology Analyst · Quality Control Engineering Technician (QC Engineering Technician) · Quality Technician · Business Process Analyst · Engineering Technician · Industrial Engineering Analyst · Manufacturing Coordinator · Quality Management Coordinator · Service Technician · 3D Printing Tech (Three Dimensional Printing Technician) · Additive Manufacturing Production Technician
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
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/roles/role-17-3026-00/context.md directly.
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.
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
60th-percentile task overlap — yet about 6,300 openings a year (+1.7% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 5222% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
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.
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.) Moderate | 62nd | 0.6 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 62nd | 0.8 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 60th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.8). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
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 · 19th percentile among occupations · Low
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.
| Analyze, estimate, or report production costs. | 0.3% | |
| Provide advice or training to other technicians. | 0.3% | |
| Calibrate or adjust equipment to ensure quality production, using tools such as calipers, micrometers, height gauges, protractors, or ring gauges. | 0.2% | |
| Conduct statistical studies to analyze or compare production costs for sustainable and nonsustainable designs. | 0.2% | |
| Prepare layouts, drawings, or sketches of machinery or equipment, such as shop tooling, scale layouts, or new equipment design, using drafting equipment or computer-aided design (CAD) software. | 0.2% |
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.7% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 6,300 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 74,600 → 75,900 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
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.
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Physical and Engineering Science Technicians Not Elsewhere Classified · 3119 | 26% | Not exposed |
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.
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 52.2% working with AI · 21.1% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Iteration · you and AI go back and forth |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 30.0% |
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, material handling, or machine utilization. | Iteration | 0.6% |
| Interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, or formulas for management or engineering staff. | Learning | 0.3% |
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, or formulas for management or engineering staff. | 88.2% | |
| Prepare charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, material handling, or machine utilization. | 78.6% |
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
Help me prepare charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, material handling, or machine utilization. From: Prepare charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, material handling, or machine utilization. · 0.6% of measured AI use · task iteration
Help me interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, or formulas for management or engineering staff. From: Interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, or formulas for management or engineering staff. · 0.3% of measured AI use · learning
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.
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
| Mechanical | 4.4 | |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.1 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.7 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Design | 3.5 | |
| English Language | 3.5 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.5 | |
| Physics | 3.4 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.2 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Speaking | 3.3 | |
| Writing | 3.1 | |
| Mathematics | 3.1 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.5 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.4 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.4 | |
| Written Expression | 3.3 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.3 | |
| Originality | 3.3 | |
| Visualization | 3.3 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Number Facility | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | |
| Time Management | 3.3 | |
| Operations Analysis | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 |
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 57.
Showing the top 40 of 104.
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.
What to study: Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Some College Courses | 36.9% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 14.7% | |
| High School Diploma | 12.0% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 9.7% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.3% |
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
| Engineering | 5.8 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 3.7 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.6 | |
| Information Technology | 3.0 | |
| Physical Science | 2.2 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.1 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 2.0 | |
| Accounting | 1.9 | |
| Office Work | 1.8 |
| Realistic | 5.3 | |
| Conventional | 5.2 | |
| Investigative | 5.1 | |
| Enterprising | 2.3 |
| Attention to Detail | 2.7 | |
| Dependability | 2.2 | |
| Cautiousness | 1.8 |
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $46,370 |
| 25th percentile | $53,230 |
| Median (50th) | $64,790 |
| 75th percentile | $79,040 |
| 90th percentile | $97,670 |
| People employed | 73,410 |
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 | 56,040 | $63,320 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 8,450 | $73,560 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 3,310 | $68,670 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 2,460 | $76,410 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 2,130 | $65,260 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,580 | $51,430 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1,300 | $47,130 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 1,140 | $76,590 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 440 | $63,410 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 400 | $63,510 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 270 | $105,570 |
| Utilities · Sector | 220 | $100,220 |
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 | 14.05× | 1,140 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 9.22× | 56,040 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 6.01× | 3,310 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 3.56× | 440 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 1.84× | 2,460 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 1.65× | 8,450 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.03× | 1,300 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 0.99× | 270 |
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters.
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
Options the data surfaces for Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
How people typically prepare for this work.
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 47th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians show 60th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,300 annual U.S. openings
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians show 60th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,300 annual U.S. openings • Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians rank in the 60th percentile (Moderate 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 6,300 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 about average (+1.7%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $64,790, across about 73,410 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 52% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3026-00 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.
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.
Singulariki. "Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians." 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-17-3026-00
Singulariki. (2026). Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3026-00
@misc{singulariki-role-17-3026-00,
title = {Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians},
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-17-3026-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.