← All 785 jobsFile 17-3029
Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 2.8% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #438 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $78,350 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 62,400 in the US, with about 5,400 openings a year
The work, 27 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 helps with this: Analyze performance of systems or equipment13%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 563 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
AI does this: Document technical designs, procedures, or activities12%
AI performed this in about 1 in 779 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment11%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate industrial processing or production equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 222 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Inspect completed work or finished products4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,196 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Design electrical or electronic systems or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Develop models of systems, processes, or products2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 648 conversations, and it got them there 75% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 787 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Develop research plans or methodologies2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Assist scientists, scholars, or technical specialists with projects or research2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 653 conversations, and it got them there 81% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI does this: Advise others on business or operational matters2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 290 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Install commercial or production equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Purchase goods or services1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 214 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Fabricate devices or components1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 103 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 5,400 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 30% of the workMobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics4% AI does, against 14% here+6.7% by 2035 · $65,510 · High school diploma
- Shares 27% of the workIndustrial Machinery Mechanics8% AI does, against 14% here+17.8% by 2035 · $64,520 · High school diploma
- Shares 26% of the workStationary Engineers and Boiler Operators5% AI does, against 14% here+3.1% by 2035 · $78,620 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work 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 0.20, higher than 70% 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, 17-3029 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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