Food Science Technicians
Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-4013
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 19-4013 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 20.4%
- High · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 34/100
- Low friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $52,130
- H-1B offered wage $44,106; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- —
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +4.8%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 6
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 304 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- 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
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~35.7% of this role but only ~20.4% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
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.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. Includes technicians who assist in research and development of production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and use of foods.
Common titles: Central Laboratory Technician (CLT), Food Science Tech (Food Science Technician), Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), QA Lab Tech (Quality Assurance Lab Technician), QC Tech (Quality Assurance Technician)
Representative Tasks
- •Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
- •Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.
- •Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
- •Monitor and control temperature of products.
- •Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Evaluate quality of materials or products.
- •Test quality of materials or finished products.
- •Record research or operational data.
- •Measure physical or chemical properties of materials or objects.
- •Analyze chemical compounds or substances.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 20.4% | 9.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 37% Bright |
| Median Salary | $52,130 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 80/100 | N/A |