# Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

> 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.

- **SOC code:** 17-3026.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3026-00
- **Also known as:** 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
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Test selected products at specified stages in the production process for performance characteristics or adherence to specifications.
- Compile and evaluate statistical data to determine and maintain quality and reliability of products.
- Study time, motion, methods, or speed involved in maintenance, production, or other operations to establish standard production rate or improve efficiency.
- Read worker logs, product processing sheets, or specification sheets to verify that records adhere to quality assurance specifications.
- Verify that equipment is being operated and maintained according to quality assurance standards by observing worker performance.
- Evaluate industrial operations for compliance with permits or regulations related to the generation, storage, treatment, transportation, or disposal of hazardous materials or waste.
- Aid in planning work assignments in accordance with worker performance, machine capacity, production schedules, or anticipated delays.
- Adhere to all applicable regulations, policies, and procedures for health, safety, and environmental compliance.
- Analyze, estimate, or report production costs.
- Assist engineers in developing, building, or testing prototypes or new products, processes, or procedures.
- Calibrate or adjust equipment to ensure quality production, using tools such as calipers, micrometers, height gauges, protractors, or ring gauges.
- Conduct statistical studies to analyze or compare production costs for sustainable and nonsustainable designs.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Engineering and Technology _(knowledge)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(transferable_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Physics _(Specialized Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology)_
- Bentley MicroStation _(hot technology)_
- C _(hot technology)_
- C++ _(hot technology)_
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks _(hot technology)_
- Extensible markup language XML _(hot technology)_
- IBM SPSS Statistics _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 60th percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 62nd percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 62nd percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 60th percentile (Moderate) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 19th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 1.7% growth (About average); 6.3k annual openings; 74.6k → 75.9k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $64,790; 73,410 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 21% automation, 52% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Prepare charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, material handling, or machine utilization. _(0.6% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, or formulas for management or engineering staff. _(0.3% of measured AI use; learning)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me prepare charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, material handling, or machine utilization.
- Help me interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, or formulas for management or engineering staff.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3026-00_