Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators
Production · SOC 51-9151
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-9151 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 1.1%
- Medium · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 51/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $40,610
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,000
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -2.6%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 0
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 1,948 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 ~38% of this role but only ~1.1% 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
Perform work involved in developing and processing photographic images from film or digital media. May perform precision tasks such as editing photographic negatives and prints.
Common titles: Digital Printer Operator, Film Processor, Film Technician, Lab Technician, Photo Lab Specialist, Photo Lab Technician (Photographic Laboratory Technician)
Representative Tasks
- •Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.
- •Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
- •Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
- •Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements.
- •Review computer-processed digital images for quality.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Load digital images onto computers or websites.
- •Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
- •Inspected printed materials or other images to verify quality.
- •Operate digital imaging equipment.
- •Load materials into production equipment.
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 | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $40,610 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 99/100 | N/A |