Compare Occupations

	Physicists	Computer and Information Research Scientists	Nuclear Engineers	Photonics Engineers	Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
SUMMARY	9% Minimal Risk	11% Minimal Risk	10% Minimal Risk	13% Minimal Risk	10% Minimal Risk
JOB SCORE	7.8/10	7.8/10	6.7/10	6.7/10	6.6/10
POLLING	26% (Low Risk, Based on 1,201 votes)	30% (Low Risk, Based on 454 votes)	21% (Low Risk, Based on 187 votes)	34% (Low Risk, Based on 17 votes)	31% (Low Risk, Based on 40 votes)
GROWTH by year 2034	4.0%	19.7%	-1.1%	2.1%	2.5%
WAGES	$166,290 or $79.94 per hour	$140,910 or $67.74 per hour	$127,520 or $61.30 per hour	$117,750 or $56.61 per hour	$97,360 or $46.80 per hour
VOLUME as of 2024	21,340	38,480	14,740	150,750	13,590
SNOWFLAKE [?] The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
DESCRIPTION	Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.	Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.	Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.	Design technologies specializing in light information or light energy, such as laser or fiber optics technology.	Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

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.

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.

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.