← All 785 jobsFile 19-3099
Social Scientists and Related Workers
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. The BLS expects 0.2% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #107 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -0.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $101,110 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 41,500 in the US, with about 2,700 openings a year
The work, 14 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Present research or technical information16%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems13%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models10%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
AI does this: Evaluate programs, practices, or processes9%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,764 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on legal or regulatory matters7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 456 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate environmental or sustainability information7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 392 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Assess characteristics or impacts of regulations or policies6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 640 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Develop research plans or methodologies6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,066 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Design structures or facilities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare legal or regulatory documents3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 100 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 2,700 openings a year as people retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 26% of the workEnvironmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health33% AI does, against 45% here+6.1% by 2035 · $82,220 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 23% of the workHydrologists19% AI does, against 45% here+1.5% by 2035 · $96,600 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 22% of the workMarine Engineers and Naval Architects27% AI does, against 45% here+6.7% by 2035 · $112,230 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.33, higher than 94% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-3099 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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