Automation Risk
Each occupation shows a probability of automation. A higher score means machines and algorithms are more likely to take over the role in the future.
Compare Occupations
| SUMMARY |
69%
High Risk
|
36%
Low Risk
|
58%
Moderate Risk
|
45%
Moderate Risk
|
54%
Moderate Risk
|
63%
High Risk
|
| JOB SCORE | 3.5/10 | 4.1/10 | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 | 4.0/10 | 3.2/10 |
| POLLING |
There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet
|
60%
(High Risk,
Based on 20 votes)
|
59%
(Moderate Risk,
Based on 107 votes)
|
32%
(Low Risk,
Based on 21 votes)
|
51%
(Moderate Risk,
Based on 51 votes)
|
There hasn't been enough votes on this occupation yet
|
|
GROWTH
by year 2034
|
1.0%
|
1.7%
|
1.1%
|
1.7%
|
2.8%
|
0.3%
|
| WAGES |
$65,480
or $31.48 per hour
|
$85,750
or $41.22 per hour
|
$74,080
or $35.61 per hour
|
$83,600
or $40.19 per hour
|
$65,680
or $31.57 per hour
|
$58,030
or $27.90 per hour
|
|
VOLUME
as of 2024
|
12,460
|
23,320
|
42,710
|
8,210
|
18,300
|
3,300
|
| SNOWFLAKE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DESCRIPTION | Operate or monitor railroad track switches or locomotive instruments. May couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains. Watch for and relay traffic signals. May inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and hand brakes. May watch for dragging equipment or obstacles on rights-of-way. | Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. Includes rail transportation inspectors, such as freight inspectors, rail inspectors, and other inspectors of transportation vehicles not elsewhere classified. | Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Conductors coordinate activities of train crew on passenger or freight trains. Yardmasters review train schedules and switching orders and coordinate activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, such as the makeup or breakup of trains and yard switching. | Install, inspect, test, maintain, or repair electric gate crossings, signals, signal equipment, track switches, section lines, or intercommunications systems within a railroad system. | Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars. | Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location. |
Compare Occupations Side by Side
Curious how automation and AI could affect your career? Our comparison tool lets you view two or more jobs side by side, helping you quickly spot differences in risk level, pay, growth, and popularity. All of this is based on a mix of academic research, user polling, and official labour data.
Job Score
A quick summary of how a job performs overall — factoring in wages, growth, volume, and automation risk. It’s a handy way to see the bigger picture at a glance.
Polling Data
Thousands of visitors cast their votes on how “automatable” each job feels. These community insights are shown alongside the calculated probabilities.
Growth & Wages
See how fast each occupation is projected to grow and what people earn on average. High wages don’t always mean high security — automation risk still matters.
Volume of Workers
Explore how many people currently work in each occupation and in which year the data was recorded. Popularity can affect how disruptive automation will be for the wider economy.
The Snowflake Diagram
Each snowflake visualises the balance between automation risk, wages, growth, and job volume. Bigger and greener areas mean stronger performance in that dimension.
Use this comparison page to research careers, guide students, or simply explore the future of work. All data is regularly updated to keep the results relevant.