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Chemical Plant and System Operators
Production · SOC 51-8091
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$78,120
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
2,800
Proj. Annual Openings
16,610
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-8.8%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
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 51-8091 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 52/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $78,120
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,800
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -6.1%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 0
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 2,980 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlMonitoringQuality Control AnalysisCritical Thinking
Transition context
- 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.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
23.2%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI15.2%
AI ability · AIOE54.5%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne85%
AI could do ~15.2% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Monitoring
4.Quality Control Analysis
5.Critical Thinking
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.
1
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
0
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$0
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#690 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.
Common titles: Chemical Operator, Loader Technician, Process Control Operator, Process Development Associate, Process Operator, Process Technician
Representative Tasks
- •Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals to verify conformity of process conditions.
- •Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.
- •Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
- •Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
- •Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
- •Operate chemical processing or water treatment systems or equipment.
- •Inspect production equipment.
- •Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
- •Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Word · hotAlarm management system softwareCoordinated incident management system CIMS softwareDistributed control system DCSInterlock shutdown systems
Related Occupations
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
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
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-8091: 2019 — employment: 28,840, median wage: $62,550; 2020 — employment: 29,710, median wage: $65,960; 2021 — employment: 21,740, median wage: $70,200; 2022 — employment: 18,710, median wage: $82,670; 2023 — employment: 17,980, median wage: $80,030; 2025 — employment: 16,610, median wage: $78,120.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $78,120 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |