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 →Nuclear Monitoring Technicians
Occupation · SOC 19-4051.02
Collect and test samples to monitor results of nuclear experiments and contamination of humans, facilities, and environment.
Also called: Health Physics Technician (HP Tech) · Radiation Protection Specialist (RP Specialist) · Radiation Protection Technician (RPT) · Radiochemical Technician · Nuclear Chemistry Technician · Radiation Control Technician (Radcon Technician) · Radiation Technician · Cathodic Protection Technician · Chemical Radiation Technician · Decontaminator · Instrumentation Control Specialist · Laboratory Control Specialist
Job family: Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-19-4051-02/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.
- Declining employment outlook (-7.7% by 2034)
- 700 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $104,240/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (71st); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (44th)
44th-percentile task overlap — yet about 700 openings a year (-7.7% 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.) Moderate | 53rd | 0.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 32nd | 0.3 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 51st | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.3). 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.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
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 0.8 · 71st percentile among occupations · High
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.
| Enter data into computers to record characteristics of nuclear events or to locate coordinates of particles. | 0.6% | |
| Analyze samples, such as air or water samples, for contaminants or other elements. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -7.7% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 700 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 6,000 → 5,500 |
“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.
Nuclear Monitoring Technicians sits at the 47th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
26% mean task exposure (2025)
47th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−16 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| 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.
Tasks
All 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Brief workers on radiation levels in work areas. Core · importance 4.6
- Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation. Core · importance 4.5
- Monitor personnel to determine the amounts and intensities of radiation exposure. Core · importance 4.5
- Inform supervisors when individual exposures or area radiation levels approach maximum permissible limits. Core · importance 4.5
- Provide initial response to abnormal events or to alarms from radiation monitoring equipment. Core · importance 4.5
- Determine intensities and types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments. Core · importance 4.5
- Instruct personnel in radiation safety procedures and demonstrate use of protective clothing and equipment. Core · importance 4.4
- Collect samples of air, water, gases, or solids to determine radioactivity levels of contamination. Core · importance 4.4
- Analyze samples, such as air or water samples, for contaminants or other elements. Core · importance 4.3
- Enter data into computers to record characteristics of nuclear events or to locate coordinates of particles. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Determine or recommend radioactive decontamination procedures, according to the size and nature of equipment and the degree of contamination. Core · importance 4.1
- Set up equipment that automatically detects area radiation deviations and test detection equipment to ensure its accuracy. Core · importance 4.1
- Calibrate and maintain chemical instrumentation sensing elements and sampling system equipment, using calibration instruments and hand tools. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Prepare reports describing contamination tests, material or equipment decontaminated, or methods used in decontamination processes. Core · importance 4.0
- Place radioactive waste, such as sweepings or broken sample bottles, into containers for shipping or disposal. Core · importance 3.9
- Decontaminate objects by cleaning with soap or solvents or by abrading with wire brushes, buffing wheels, or sandblasting machines. Core · importance 3.9
- Confer with scientists directing projects to determine significant events to monitor during tests. Supplemental
- Immerse samples in chemical compounds to prepare them for testing. Supplemental
- Operate manipulators from outside cells to move specimens into or out of shielded containers, to remove specimens from cells, or to place specimens on benches or equipment work stations. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Calibrate, maintain, and repair chemical instrumentation sensing elements and sampling system equipment, using calibration instruments and hand tools.
- Document results from radiation and contamination surveys.
- Inspect, test, and maintain respiratory protection equipment.
- Write radiological work permits.
Work activities
- Communicate safety or hazard information to others.
- Analyze environmental data.
- Dispose of hazardous materials.
- Dispose of trash or waste materials.
- Measure radiation levels.
- Monitor alarm systems.
- Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
- Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
- Collect environmental data or samples.
- Set up laboratory or field equipment.
- Advise others on management of emergencies or hazardous situations or materials.
- Clean objects.
- Calibrate scientific or technical equipment.
- Maintain laboratory or technical equipment.
- Record research or operational data.
- Prepare operational reports.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Written Expression | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.8 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.6 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.5 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.4 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Number Facility | 3.1 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.5 | |
| Writing | 3.1 | |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | |
| Science | 3.1 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | |
| Instructing | 3.3 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.1 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Physics | 3.3 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.1 | |
| Chemistry | 3.1 | |
| English Language | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
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 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Health Professions and Related Programs , Science 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.
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 29.4% | |
| High School Diploma | 27.1% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 16.6% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 15.9% | |
| Some College Courses | 11.1% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.1 | |
| Conventional | 5.5 | |
| Investigative | 4.4 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 6.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Integrity | 4.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 3.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 2.6 | |
| Self-Control | 2.4 |
Interest areas
| Physical Science | 5.0 | |
| Engineering | 4.3 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.5 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 3.2 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.5 | |
| Protective Service | 2.4 | |
| Medical Science | 2.3 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $64,370 |
| 25th percentile | $83,330 |
| Median (50th) | $104,240 |
| 75th percentile | $113,710 |
| 90th percentile | $126,890 |
| People employed | 5,990 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 19-4051), 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities · Sector | 3,740 | $105,300 |
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 3,460 | $105,300 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 1,010 | $83,330 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 520 | $92,120 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 330 | $86,800 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 160 | $80,270 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 130 | $83,190 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 80 | $117,710 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 50 | $108,740 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 40 | $62,980 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 2398.02× | 3,460 |
| Utilities · Sector | 166.14× | 3,740 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 3.56× | 160 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 2.41× | 1,010 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1.48× | 520 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 0.67× | 330 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 0.14× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing , Energy & Natural Resources and Public Service & Safety career clusters.
- Nuclear Technicians · 19-4051.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Engineers · 17-2161.00 Compare →
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health · 19-4042.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists · 29-2033.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Power Reactor Operators · 51-8011.00 Compare →
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians · 17-3028.00 Compare →
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3025.00 Compare →
- Chemical Technicians · 19-4031.00 Compare →
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians · 29-2012.00 Compare →
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians · 19-5012.00 Compare →
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists · 19-5011.00 Compare →
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists · 17-3029.01 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 Nuclear Monitoring Technicians — 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.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 47th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Nuclear Monitoring Technicians show 44th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 700 annual U.S. openings
- Nuclear Monitoring Technicians rank in the 44th 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 700 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 declining (-7.7%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $104,240, across about 5,990 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Nuclear Monitoring Technicians show 44th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 700 annual U.S. openings • Nuclear Monitoring Technicians rank in the 44th 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 700 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 declining (-7.7%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $104,240, across about 5,990 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Nuclear Monitoring Technicians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-4051-02 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. "Nuclear Monitoring 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-19-4051-02
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Nuclear Monitoring Technicians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-4051-02
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-19-4051-02,
title = {Nuclear Monitoring 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-19-4051-02}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.