← All 785 jobsFile 51-8011
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 5.9% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- Joint #648 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -5.9% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $122,890 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 5,200 in the US, with about 400 openings a year
The work, 12 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
Still yours: Operate energy production or distribution equipment23%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation16%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures13%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Diagnose system or equipment problems6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 245 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Advise others on business or operational matters6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 936 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Plan work activities6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 482 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment3%
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 94 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 400 openings a year as people retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 62% of the workGas Plant Operators15% AI does, against 4% here-6% by 2035 · $87,820 · High school diploma
- Shares 56% of the workPower Distributors and Dispatchers20% AI does, against 4% here+1.2% by 2035 · $106,730 · High school diploma
- Shares 53% of the workStationary Engineers and Boiler Operators5% AI does, against 4% 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 0.08, higher than 23% 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, 51-8011 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.