Explore the rankings
Engineering & Architecture · Updated Aug 2026

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

Design objects, facilities, and environments to optimize human well-being and overall system performance, applying theory, principles, and data regarding the relationship between humans and respective technology. Investigate and analyze characteristics of human behavior and performance as it relates to the use of technology.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
72/100
High

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
60/100
High

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence83/100
Task coverage86%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.High
76
Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.High
75
Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, or validation.High
75
Advocate for end users in collaboration with other professionals, including engineers, designers, managers, or customers.High
69
Perform functional, task, or anthropometric analysis, using tools, such as checklists, surveys, videotaping, or force measurement.High
75
Write, review, or comment on documents, such as proposals, test plans, or procedures.High
76
Review health, safety, accident, or worker compensation records to evaluate safety program effectiveness or to identify jobs with high incidence of injury.High
75
Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics, such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.High
56
Assess the user-interface or usability characteristics of products.High
76
Design or evaluate human work systems, using human factors engineering and ergonomic principles to optimize usability, cost, quality, safety, or performance.High
75
Provide technical support to clients through activities, such as rearranging workplace fixtures to reduce physical hazards or discomfort or modifying task sequences to reduce cycle time.High
59
Conduct research to evaluate potential solutions related to changes in equipment design, procedures, manpower, personnel, or training.Medium
75
Integrate human factors requirements into operational hardware.High
77
Establish system operating or training requirements to ensure optimized human-machine interfaces.High
72
Develop or implement human performance research, investigation, or analysis protocols.Medium
75
Provide human factors technical expertise on topics, such as advanced user-interface technology development or the role of human users in automated or autonomous sub-systems in advanced vehicle systems.Medium
74
Estimate time or resource requirements for ergonomic or human factors research or development projects.Medium
75
Design cognitive aids, such as procedural storyboards or decision support systems.Medium
75
Perform statistical analyses, such as social network pattern analysis, network modeling, discrete event simulation, agent-based modeling, statistical natural language processing, computational sociology, mathematical optimization, or systems dynamics.Medium
74
Operate testing equipment, such as heat stress meters, octave band analyzers, motion analysis equipment, inclinometers, light meters, thermoanemometers, sling psychrometers, or colorimetric detection tubes.Medium
62
Develop or implement research methodologies or statistical analysis plans to test and evaluate developmental prototypes used in new products or processes, such as cockpit designs, user workstations, or computerized human models.Medium
74
Analyze complex systems to determine potential for further development, production, interoperability, compatibility, or usefulness in a particular area, such as aviation.Medium
72
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Integrate human factors requirements into operational hardware.77
  2. Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.76
  3. Write, review, or comment on documents, such as proposals, test plans, or procedures.76
  4. Assess the user-interface or usability characteristics of products.76
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics, such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.01
  2. Provide technical support to clients through activities, such as rearranging workplace fixtures to reduce physical hazards or discomfort or modifying task sequences to reduce cycle time.02
  3. Operate testing equipment, such as heat stress meters, octave band analyzers, motion analysis equipment, inclinometers, light meters, thermoanemometers, sling psychrometers, or colorimetric detection tubes.03
  4. Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.04
  5. Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

See all rankings →
Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency62
Physical dependency36
Adoption pressure53
Labour-market resilience60
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence83/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →