← All 785 jobsFile 19-3011
Economists
Also filed here: Economist
Being rewritten
AI already performs most of the work in this job. Even so, the BLS expects 4.7% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #21 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +4.7% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $124,720 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 18,600 in the US, with about 1,100 openings a year
The work, 28 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Analyze market or industry conditions10%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,486 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
Still yours: Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Present research or technical information7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Assess characteristics or impacts of regulations or policies6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 640 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
Still yours: Develop plans for managing or preserving natural resources5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Teach academic or vocational subjects4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 70 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
Still yours: Collect environmental or biological samples3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Develop research plans or methodologies3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Research historical or social issues3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 360 Copilot conversations and completed it 88% of the time.
AI does this: Explain regulations, policies, or procedures3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 84 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Provide information or assistance to the public3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 7 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on business or operational matters3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 290 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 824 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on legal or regulatory matters3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 456 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate environmental or sustainability information3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 392 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on environmental sustainability or green practices3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,887 Copilot conversations and completed it 97% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Present information in legal proceedings3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Promote products, services, or programs2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 117 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare legal or regulatory documents2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare proposals or grant applications2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Monitor external affairs, trends, or events2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 394 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Identify business or organizational opportunities1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,883 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 105 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,100 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 28% of the workAstronomers40% AI does, against 64% here+7.8% by 2035 · $128,820 · Doctoral or professional degree
- Shares 28% of the workSociologists53% AI does, against 64% here+3.8% by 2035 · $106,030 · Master’s degree
- Shares 26% of the workGeoscientists27% AI does, against 64% here+5.1% by 2035 · $101,920 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.33, higher than 93% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-3011 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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