Career Explorer Production
Changing shape
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of production and operating workers, such as inspectors, precision workers, machine setters and operators, assemblers, fabricators, and plant and system operators. Excludes team or work leaders.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 49% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +1.8% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and creative vision.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $74,450
- Job growth to 2035
- +1.8%
- Openings a year
- 61,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 680,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma
Where people already use AI for this work
- Plan work activities
- Maintain safety or security
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Train others to use equipment or products
- Maintain operational records
- Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment
What the work looks like
- Enforce safety and sanitation regulations.
- Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked.
- Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions.
- Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to evaluate current production estimates and outputs.
- Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workersGrows with AI, Index 66, +4.0%
- First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workersHuman edge, growing, Index 64, +5.0%
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairersGrows with AI, Index 50, +4.1%
- Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managersHuman edge, steady, Index 53, -3.4%
Also known as: Assembly Supervisor, Manufacturing Supervisor, Production Manager, Production Supervisor, Line Supervisor, Molding Supervisor, Plant Supervisor, Quality Assurance Supervisor (QA Supervisor).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.