Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
SOC Code: 51-3091
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders carries a 34% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $42,730 and +0.6% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 20,700 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 34% AI exposure, Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders sits 3 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 43% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
36/100
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $42,730
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F +0.6%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C 34% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders keeps an No credential bar (109 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
34% Lower than most lower than 57% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 51-3091) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
- 2. Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
- 3. Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
- 4. Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
- 5. Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
- 6. Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters.
- 7. Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
- 8. Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
- 9. Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets.
- 10. Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
Key Skills Required
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Quality Control Analysis
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Food Production
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
- Engineering and Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders has an AI exposure score of 34%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders is projected to grow by 0.6% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 20,700 workers.
What skills are needed for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
Key skills for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders include Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, and others. Typical entry-level education is No formal educational credential.
How much do Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders earn?
The median annual wage for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders is $42,730, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
The typical entry-level education for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders is No formal educational credential. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (34% here).
- Animal control workers · AI exposure 34%
- Barbers · AI exposure 34%
- Bartenders · AI exposure 34%
- Coil winders, tapers, and finishers · AI exposure 34%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+0.6% here).
- Continuous mining machine operators · growth +0.6%
- Editors · growth +0.6%
- Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians · growth +0.6%
- Food cooking machine operators and tenders · growth +0.6%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 81 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).