Often handed to AI
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. · 0.5%
Pest Control Workers
Occupation · SOC 37-2021.00
Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
Also called: Exterminator · Pest Control Technician (Pest Control Tech) · Pest Technician · Residential Pest Control Technician · Certified Pest Control Technician · Commercial Pest Control Technician · Pest Control Applicator · Pest Control Chemical Technician · Pest Control Operator · Termite Technician · Bed Bug Exterminator · Chemical Applicator
Job family: Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-37-2021-00/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.
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. · 93.8% need a human
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 →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+4.9% by 2034)
- 13,400 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $44,730/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (56th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (31st)
31st-percentile task overlap — yet about 13,400 openings a year (+4.9% 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.) Low | 28th | -0.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 34th | 0.3 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 36th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), 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.
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 0.7 · 56th percentile among occupations · Moderate
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.
| Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. | 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 | About average · +4.9% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 13,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 102,400 → 107,500 |
“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.
Pest Control Workers sits at the 12th 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.
13% mean task exposure (2025)
12th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Fumigators and Other Pest and Weed Controllers · 7544 | 13% | 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.
Working with AI in this job
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.
| Most common way people use AI here | Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
What people delegate to AI
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. | Directive | 0.5% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. | 93.8% |
What people most often hand AI here
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 recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.From: Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. · 0.5% of measured AI use · directive
Tasks
All 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Record work activities performed. Core · importance 4.6
- Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations. Core · importance 4.4
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. Core · importance 4.3
- Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins. Core · importance 4.0
- Clean work site after completion of job. Core · importance 3.9
- Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment. Core · importance 3.9
- Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service. Core · importance 3.7
- Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation. Core · importance 3.7
- Set mechanical traps, or place poisonous paste or bait in sewers, burrows, or ditches. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds. Core · importance 3.6
- Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Clean and remove blockages from infested areas to facilitate spraying procedures and provide drainage, using brooms, mops, shovels, or rakes. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Dig up and burn weeds, or spray them with herbicides. Supplemental
- Position and fasten edges of tarpaulins over building, and tape vents to ensure air-tight environment and to check for leaks. Supplemental
Work activities
- Recommend products or services to customers.
- Estimate maintenance service requirements or costs.
- Document work hours or activities.
- Inspect buildings or grounds to determine condition.
- Treat greenery or surfaces with protective substances.
- Clean facilities or sites.
- Supervise maintenance workers.
- Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
- Block physical access to restricted areas.
- Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
- Treat facilities to eliminate pests.
- Evaluate reports or designs to determine work needs.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.8 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.8 | |
| Written Expression | 3.6 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.6 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.6 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Far Vision | 3.5 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.3 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.3 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.3 | |
| Visualization | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Time Sharing | 3.0 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.0 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.8 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.1 | |
| English Language | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Writing | 3.6 | |
| Speaking | 3.6 | |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Active Learning | 3.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Time Management | 3.5 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.0 | |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Intuit QuickBooks | Accounting software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft SharePoint | Document management software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Database software | Data base user interface and query software | |
| Email software | Electronic mail software | |
| Marathon Data Systems PestPac | Data base user interface and query software | |
| Report writing software | Word processing software | |
| Supply inventory software | Inventory management software | |
| Work scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software | |
| YouTube | Video creation and editing 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 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 90.2% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 8.8% | |
| Some College Courses | 0.6% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 0.4% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.8 | |
| Conventional | 4.2 | |
| Investigative | 2.9 | |
| Enterprising | 2.2 | |
| Social | 1.7 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 4.7 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 4.0 | |
| Nature/Outdoors | 1.9 | |
| Life Science | 1.8 | |
| Agriculture | 1.8 | |
| Sales | 1.7 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 1.6 | |
| Protective Service | 1.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.1 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.1 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $32,460 |
| 25th percentile | $37,060 |
| Median (50th) | $44,730 |
| 75th percentile | $49,300 |
| 90th percentile | $61,410 |
| People employed | 96,110 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 92,430 | $44,660 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services · National industry | 90,350 | $44,660 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 260 | $49,520 |
| Landscaping Services · National industry | 200 | $47,320 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 160 | $56,990 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 150 | $42,720 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 110 | $37,000 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 110 | $36,310 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 100 | $44,630 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 90 | $48,530 |
| Construction · Sector | 40 | $46,490 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 40 | $51,440 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services · National industry | 978.9× | 90,350 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 16.42× | 92,430 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 0.57× | 150 |
| Landscaping Services · National industry | 0.35× | 200 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 0.07× | 110 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.07× | 110 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.03× | 100 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.03× | 260 |
Related occupations
Part of the Agriculture career cluster.
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation · 37-3012.00 Compare →
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers · 47-4041.00 Compare →
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners · 47-4071.00 Compare →
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers · 37-3011.00 Compare →
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators · 51-8031.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers · 37-1012.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers · 45-1011.00 Compare →
- Agricultural Technicians · 19-4012.00 Compare →
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse · 45-2092.00 Compare →
- Agricultural Inspectors · 45-2011.00 Compare →
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health · 19-4042.00 Compare →
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3025.00 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 Pest Control Workers — 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.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 12th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Pest Control Workers show 31st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 13,400 annual U.S. openings
- Pest Control Workers rank in the 31st 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 13,400 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 (+4.9%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $44,730, across about 96,110 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Pest Control Workers show 31st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 13,400 annual U.S. openings • Pest Control Workers rank in the 31st 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 13,400 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 (+4.9%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $44,730, across about 96,110 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Pest Control Workers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-37-2021-00 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)
- 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. "Pest Control Workers." 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-37-2021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Pest Control Workers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-37-2021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-37-2021-00,
title = {Pest Control Workers},
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-37-2021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.