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 →Phlebotomists
Occupation · SOC 31-9097.00
Draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. May explain the procedure to patients and assist in the recovery of patients with adverse reactions.
Also called: Lab Liaison Technician · Mobile Examiner · Phlebotomist · Phlebotomy Technician · Patient Service Technician (PST) · Registered Phlebotomist · Certified Phlebotomist · Certified Phlebotomy Technician · Clinical Phlebotomist · Collections Technician · Laboratory Phlebotomist · Long Term Care Phlebotomist
Job family: Healthcare Support Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-31-9097-00/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.
- About average employment outlook (+5.6% by 2034)
- 18,400 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $43,660/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
22nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 18,400 openings a year (+5.6% 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 | 41st | -0.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 27th | 0.2 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 3rd | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.2). 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.
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.
| Document route of specimens from collection to laboratory analysis and diagnosis. | 0.5% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +5.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 18,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 139,700 → 147,500 |
“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.
Phlebotomists sits at the 18th 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.
15% mean task exposure (2025)
18th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care Workers in Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified · 5329 | 15% | 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 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies. Core · importance 5.0
- Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use. Core · importance 4.9
- Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods. Core · importance 4.8
- Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes. Core · importance 4.8
- Conduct standards tests, such as blood alcohol, blood culture, oral glucose tolerance, glucose screening, blood smears, or peak and trough drug levels tests. Core · importance 4.7
- Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies. Core · importance 4.7
- Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels. Core · importance 4.7
- Process blood or other fluid samples for further analysis by other medical professionals. Core · importance 4.7
- Provide sample analysis results to physicians to assist diagnosis. Core · importance 4.5
- Administer subcutaneous or intramuscular injects, in accordance with licensing restrictions. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Enter patient, specimen, insurance, or billing information into computer. Core · importance 4.4
- Document route of specimens from collection to laboratory analysis and diagnosis. Core · importance 4.4
- Draw blood from capillaries by dermal puncture, such as heel or finger stick methods. Core · importance 4.4
- Draw blood from arteries, using arterial collection techniques. Supplemental · importance 4.4
- Monitor blood or plasma donors during and after procedures to ensure health, safety, and comfort. Supplemental · importance 4.4
- Conduct hemoglobin tests to ensure donor iron levels are normal. Core · importance 4.3
- Transport specimens or fluid samples from collection sites to laboratories. Core · importance 4.3
- Collect fluid or tissue samples, using appropriate collection procedures. Core · importance 4.2
- Calibrate or maintain machines, such as those used for plasma collection. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Determine donor suitability, according to interview results, vital signs, and medical history. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Explain fluid or tissue collection procedures to patients. Core · importance 4.1
- Train other medical personnel in phlebotomy or laboratory techniques. Core · importance 4.1
- Serve refreshments to donors to ensure absorption of sugar into their systems. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Perform saline flushes or dispense anticoagulant drugs, such as Heparin, through intravenous (IV) lines, in accordance with licensing restrictions and under the direction of a medical doctor. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
Work activities
- Collect biological specimens from patients.
- Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
- Compile data or documentation.
- Prepare official health documents or records.
- Explain technical medical information to patients.
- Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis.
- Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
- Clean medical equipment.
- Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
- Give medications or immunizations.
- Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
- Conduct diagnostic tests to determine patient health.
- Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
- Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.
- Maintain medical records.
- Monitor patients to detect health problems.
- Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
- Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
- Feed patients.
- Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel.
- Transport biological or other medical materials.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.5 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.5 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.4 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.3 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Written Expression | 3.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.1 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Service Orientation | 3.6 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.5 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Instructing | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.4 | |
| Speaking | 3.4 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Writing | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Active Learning | 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
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology In demand |
| JavaScript | Web platform development software | Hot technology |
| MEDITECH software | Medical software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Donor management system software | Medical software | |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | Medical software | |
| Iatric Systems MobiLab | Medical software | |
| Laboratory information system LIS | Medical software | |
| Medical procedure coding software | Medical software | |
| MEDITECH Blood Bank | Medical software | |
| MEDITECH Laboratory and Microbiology | Medical software | |
| Scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software |
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
- Postsecondary nondegree award · 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: Health Professions and Related Programs . 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.
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 45.5% | |
| High School Diploma | 31.8% | |
| Some College Courses | 13.6% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 4.5% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 4.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Health Care Service | 5.7 | |
| Medical Science | 3.3 | |
| Life Science | 3.0 | |
| Teaching/Education | 2.3 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.2 | |
| Office Work | 2.0 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.4 | |
| Conventional | 5.4 | |
| Investigative | 4.7 | |
| Social | 3.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 4.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 3.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.3 | |
| Integrity | 2.1 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 2.0 | |
| Cooperation | 1.9 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $34,860 |
| 25th percentile | $37,540 |
| Median (50th) | $43,660 |
| 75th percentile | $48,170 |
| 90th percentile | $57,750 |
| People employed | 138,880 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 132,900 | $43,660 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 2,870 | $44,450 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 2,590 | $44,570 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 1,250 | $38,290 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 610 | $42,510 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 290 | $62,180 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 250 | $42,490 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 230 | $38,240 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 100 | $41,310 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 50 | $48,780 |
| Offices of Chiropractors · National industry | 40 | $39,790 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 30 | $35,280 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 6.39× | 132,900 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 1.63× | 250 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.08× | 2,590 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 0.36× | 100 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.35× | 2,870 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 0.13× | 1,250 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.11× | 290 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.05× | 610 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians · 29-2012.00 Compare →
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists · 29-2011.00 Compare →
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians · 29-2031.00 Compare →
- Histotechnologists · 29-2011.04 Compare →
- Medical Assistants · 31-9092.00 Compare →
- Paramedics · 29-2043.00 Compare →
- Surgical Technologists · 29-2055.00 Compare →
- Surgical Assistants · 29-9093.00 Compare →
- Emergency Medical Technicians · 29-2042.00 Compare →
- Histology Technicians · 29-2012.01 Compare →
- Neurodiagnostic Technologists · 29-2099.01 Compare →
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers · 29-2032.00 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 Phlebotomists — 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.
- Postsecondary nondegree award · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 18th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Phlebotomists show 22nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 18,400 annual U.S. openings
- Phlebotomists rank in the 22nd percentile (Low 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 18,400 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 (+5.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $43,660, across about 138,880 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Phlebotomists show 22nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 18,400 annual U.S. openings • Phlebotomists rank in the 22nd percentile (Low 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 18,400 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 (+5.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $43,660, across about 138,880 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Phlebotomists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9097-00 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.
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)
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Phlebotomists." 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; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9097-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Phlebotomists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9097-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-31-9097-00,
title = {Phlebotomists},
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; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9097-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.