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Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Architecture and Engineering · SOC 17-3025

10.3% AI Exposure — Medium
$59,920
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
2,000
Proj. Annual Openings
12,190
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-6.3%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
90/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 17-3025 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
10.3%
Medium · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
50/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$59,920
H-1B offered wage $69,120; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
2,000
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +1.2%.
Observed/proxy demand
9
FY2025 certified LCAs; 3,007 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingActive LearningSpeaking
  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

Best transitions from here

Explore all pathways

Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure10.3%
AI Resiliency90/100
Exposure BandMedium
Sector Avg. Exposure4.5%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

38.6%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic10.3%
AI capability · OpenAI40.8%
AI ability · AIOE64.6%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne25%

AI could do ~40.8% of this role but only ~10.3% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Reading Comprehension
2.Active Listening
3.Critical Thinking
4.Active Learning
5.Speaking

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

110
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
9
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$69,120
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#319 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Apply theory and principles of environmental engineering to modify, test, and operate equipment and devices used in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental problems, including waste treatment and site remediation, under the direction of engineering staff or scientists. May assist in the development of environmental remediation devices.

Common titles: Air Quality Instrument Specialist, Engineer Technician, Environmental Engineering Assistant, Environmental Engineering Technician, Environmental Field Technician, Environmental Technician

Representative Tasks

  • Maintain project logbook records or computer program files.
  • Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations.
  • Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
  • Produce environmental assessment reports, tabulating data and preparing charts, graphs, or sketches.
  • Collect and analyze pollution samples, such as air or ground water.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Dispose of hazardous materials.
  • Maintain operational records or records systems.
  • Document design or operational test results.
  • Evaluate environmental impact of operational or development activities.
  • Monitor environmental conditions to detect hazards.

Tools & Technologies

Autodesk AutoCAD · hotAutodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D · hotBentley MicroStation · hotESRI ArcGIS software · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotThe MathWorks MATLAB · hotComputer aided design and drafting CADD softwareGeographic information system GIS softwareGeographic information system GIS systemsHazardous materials management HMS software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
4.5%
Avg AI Exposure
2
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 17-3025: 2019 — employment: 18,010, median wage: $50,620; 2020 — employment: 17,070, median wage: $51,630; 2021 — employment: 14,910, median wage: $48,390; 2022 — employment: 13,400, median wage: $50,980; 2023 — employment: 13,780, median wage: $54,000; 2025 — employment: 12,190, median wage: $59,920.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure10.3%4.5%
OutlookBright ↗15% Bright
Median Salary$59,920N/A
AI Resiliency90/100N/A