US dataswitch to UK
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
observing safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions, testing product samples for specific gravity and inspecting equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: controlling or operating equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products is work software can't reach.
What shifts is recording operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times or testing results: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.
Your week, as this page understands it
Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels. The job title says “chemical equipment operators” or “tenders”: officially one job, two names. The real job is the part underneath: controlling or operating equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But chemical equipment operators and tenders is not one task. It is 23 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is controlling or operating equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 12%
- changing shape
- 4%
- staying human
- 83%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 14 out of 100 (12–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 23 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for chemical equipment operators and tenders is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- One task scored differently between repeat runs, so its range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
- 1 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
3 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Recording operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times or testing results
This is reading one thing and writing another: operational data in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Logging temperatures, pressures, ingredients and test results is straightforward record-keeping that software handles well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Estimating materials required for production and manufacturing of products
This is reading one thing and writing another: materials in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (68–82 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Working out how much material a production run needs is a calculation from known recipes and volumes.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Inventorying supplies
This is reading one thing and writing another: supplies in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Inventory supplies received and consumed.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Tracking supplies received and used is ordinary stock record-keeping that software does well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Changing shape
1 taskTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Reading plant specifications to determine products
The software now makes the first pass at plant specifications, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Read plant specifications to determine products, ingredients, or prescribed modifications of plant procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (52–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Reading plant specifications to work out products, ingredients and procedure changes is document work software does well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
19 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Controlling or operating equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products
This work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Operating the equipment that runs a chemical reaction is physical work in the plant.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Observing safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions
This work happens in the physical world: safety precautions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Working safely around fire and explosion risk means being in the plant and acting on what you see.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Adjusting controls to regulate temperature
This work happens in the physical world: controls, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “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.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Turning controls to set temperature, pressure and flow is done at the equipment.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters or products to ensure that specified conditions
This work happens in the physical world: gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters or products, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 19 out of 100 (12–26 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Reading gauges and instruments to confirm conditions hold is monitoring software does well, but many gauges are local.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Opening valves or starting pumps
This work happens in the physical world: valves, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Opening valves and starting pumps and reactors is physical operation.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Patrolling work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions
This work happens in the physical world: work areas, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Walking the plant to spot leaks and faults requires being there with your own eyes and ears.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Show the other 13 tasks
Notifying maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Notify maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (25–39 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Reporting an equipment fault to maintenance is a short, routine message that systems already generate.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Observing and comparing colors and consistencies of products to instrument readings and to laboratory and standard test results
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: colors, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Observe and compare colors and consistencies of products to instrument readings and to laboratory and standard test results.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (0–13 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Judging color and consistency by eye against test results depends on senses that come from experience.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Directing activities of workers assisting in control or verification of processes or in unloading of materials
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: activities of workers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Direct activities of workers assisting in control or verification of processes or in unloading of materials.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (0–13 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Directing workers on the plant floor means being there with them.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Measuring, weighing and mixing chemical ingredients, according to specifications
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: chemical ingredients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Measuring, weighing and mixing chemicals is physical handling of materials.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Inspecting equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Inspecting units for leaks and shutting equipment down is physical work in the plant.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Testing product samples for specific gravity
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: product samples, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Testing samples for pH, gravity or viscosity means handling them with instruments.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Drawing samples of products at specified stages so that analyses
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: samples of products, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Drawing product samples at set points is physical handling of material.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Adding treating or neutralizing agents
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: agents, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Add treating or neutralizing agents to products, and pump products through filters or centrifuges to remove impurities or to precipitate products.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Adding agents and pumping product through filters or centrifuges is hands-on process work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Draining equipment and pump water or other solutions through to flush and cleaning tanks or equipment
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Drain equipment, and pump water or other solutions through to flush and clean tanks or equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Draining and flushing tanks is physical work with the equipment.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Making minor repairs, lubricate and maintaining equipment, using hand tools
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: minor repairs, lubricate and maintaining equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Make minor repairs, lubricate, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Minor repairs and lubrication need hands and tools on the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Flushing or cleaning equipment, using steam hoses or mechanical reamers
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Flush or clean equipment, using steam hoses or mechanical reamers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Flushing and cleaning equipment with steam hoses and reamers is physical work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Implementing appropriate industrial emergency response procedures
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: appropriate industrial emergency response procedures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Carrying out emergency response in an industrial plant means acting there in person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Dumping or scooping prescribed solid
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: prescribed solid, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Dump or scoop prescribed solid, granular, or powdered materials into equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Loading solid or powdered material into equipment is physical work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $58,040a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 139,630in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: operational data in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: recording operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times or testing results and estimating materials required for production and manufacturing of products. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where equipment gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Start with what does not change: controlling or operating equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.
So, given all that: 12% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 4% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 83% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 23 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Recording operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times or testing results is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.
This week: one thing
Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to operational data, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.
- What you end up holding
- a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
- How long it takes
- ten minutes
If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether safety precautions are in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.
Over the next 90 days
Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near reading plant specifications to determine products. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.
Over the next 12 months
On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to chemical equipment operators and tenders (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders: only about 11% of its durable work is work you already do and it pays 15.6% less. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 14/100 here, with only 12% of the task list in the top band, and “control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place…” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications, and their equivalent is to weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements. Across both published task lists that is about 11% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 11% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. It is a pay cut, in those words: $48,990 against your $58,040, 15.6% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications, and their equivalent is to weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance…. Across both published task lists that is about 11% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 11% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. It is a pay cut, in those words: $48,540 against your $58,040, 16.4% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice. And it is a narrow door: about 26,000 of those jobs against 139,630 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 19% as many seats.
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already drain equipment, and pump water or other solutions through to flush and clean…, and their equivalent is to drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions…. Across both published task lists that is about 10% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 10% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. It is a pay cut, in those words: $43,530 against your $58,040, 25.0% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice. And it is a narrow door: about 14,760 of those jobs against 139,630 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 11% as many seats.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 12% of its task weight, across 23 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like controlling or operating equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Chemical and related process operatives is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Chemical and related process operatives. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
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No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it
Nothing Collab365 runs is built for chemical equipment operators / tenders, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 12% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.
7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.
The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for chemical equipment operators / tenders. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for chemical equipment operators / tenders launches. Nothing else.
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No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 23 official task statements scored for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders (United States, SOC 51-9011), 12% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 14 out of 100 (range 12–19, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products” (75/100, high); “Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results” (69/100, high); “Inventory supplies received and consumed” (69/100, high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders” stay human?
- About 83% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Dump or scoop prescribed solid, granular, or powdered materials into equipment” (0/100, minimal); “Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures” (0/100, minimal); “Flush or clean equipment, using steam hoses or mechanical reamers” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 12% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 83% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 23 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
About the data on this page
- One task scored differently between repeat runs, so its range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- 1 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-04.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.