AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9011.00
Will AI replace Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders?
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 23 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 23 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Make minor repairs, lubricate, and maintain equipment, using hand tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Notify maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Add treating or neutralizing agents to products, and pump products through filters or centrifuges to remove impurities or to precipitate products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Observe and compare colors and consistencies of products to instrument readings and to laboratory and standard test results. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Direct activities of workers assisting in control or verification of processes or in unloading of materials. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Drain equipment, and pump water or other solutions through to flush and clean tanks or equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Inventory supplies received and consumed. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Flush or clean equipment, using steam hoses or mechanical reamers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Adjust controls to regulate temperature, pressure, feed, or flow of liquids or gases and times of prescribed reactions, according to knowledge of equipment and processes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Read plant specifications to determine products, ingredients, or prescribed modifications of plant procedures. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dump or scoop prescribed solid, granular, or powdered materials into equipment. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 23 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 23 of 23. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 18% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 18% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 82% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 139,630
- Median annual wage
- $58,040
- Middle half of earners
- $45,970 to $74,080
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +3.3%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Chemical Plant and System Operators 81% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure26
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure19
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure20
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders 71% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure22
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure18
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders and AI
Will AI replace Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders?
Not on current evidence. None of the 23 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 15 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders?
15 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 23 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 23 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products, at 20 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 18% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 82% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders, and what do they earn?
139,630 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $58,040 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.3% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/chemical-equipment-operators-and-tenders
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