Industrial engineers
SOC Code: 17-2112
Industrial engineers carries a 67% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $101,140 and +11.0% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 351,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 67% AI exposure, Industrial engineers sits 30 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 96% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
65/100
Industrial engineers, 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 A $101,140
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +11.0%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 67% 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 Industrial engineers in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's bar with above-average BLS growth
Industrial engineers sits in the Bachelor's entry band (178 of 832 occupations) and the Fast growth pace bucket (67 of 832). That pairing is rarer than the HS / some-college + declining cluster that dominates the BLS map - treat the degree bar as the binding gate while the growth line stays supportive.
Where Industrial engineers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Industrial engineers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
67% Higher than most higher than 96% 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.
Industrial engineers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Industrial engineers 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
Industrial engineers's Very High 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 in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
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 17-2112) 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 Industrial engineers 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 Industrial engineers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.
- 2. Study product characteristics or customer requirements to determine validation objectives and standards.
- 3. Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics, such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.
- 4. Analyze validation test data to determine whether systems or processes have met validation criteria or to identify root causes of production problems.
- 5. Advocate for end users in collaboration with other professionals, including engineers, designers, managers, or customers.
- 6. Inspect work sites to identify physical hazards.
- 7. Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, or validation.
- 8. Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.
- 9. Develop validation master plans, process flow diagrams, test cases, or standard operating procedures.
- 10. Perform functional, task, or anthropometric analysis, using tools, such as checklists, surveys, videotaping, or force measurement.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Operations Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge Areas
- Production and Processing
- Engineering and Technology
- Mechanical
- Design
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Physics
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Industrial engineers?
Industrial engineers has an AI exposure score of 67%, indicating a very high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Industrial engineers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Industrial engineers is projected to grow by 11.0% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 351,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Industrial engineers?
Key skills for Industrial engineers include Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, Complex Problem Solving, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Industrial engineers earn?
The median annual wage for Industrial engineers is $101,140, 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 Industrial engineers?
The typical entry-level education for Industrial engineers is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Industrial engineers?
Industrial engineers 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
Very High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Industrial engineers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (67% here).
- Brokerage clerks · AI exposure 68%
- Court, municipal, and license clerks · AI exposure 68%
- Court reporters and simultaneous captioners · AI exposure 68%
- Private detectives and investigators · AI exposure 68%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+11.0% here).
- Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians · growth +11.0%
- Athletic trainers · growth +11.1%
- Physical therapists · growth +10.9%
- Semiconductor processing technicians · growth +10.9%
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 49 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Industrial engineers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Industrial engineers 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).