Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Also called: I-O Psychologist (Industrial-Organizational Psychologist), Organizational Consultant, Organizational Psychologist, Research ScientistApply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training, and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 21 of its 25 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.5% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other psychologists”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 94% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $174,980 | $106,190 to $174,980 | 60 |
| Texas | $139,520 | $88,240 to $152,330 | 40 |
Nationally: $193,950. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 21 of its 25 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection. | 0.04% |
| AI alone | Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and interview workers to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs, as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction. | Not published |
| AI + software | Facilitate organizational development and change. | 0.03% |
See all 25 tasks
| AI + software | Analyze job requirements and content to establish criteria for classification, selection, training, and other related personnel functions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Advise management concerning personnel, managerial, and marketing policies and practices and their potential effects on organizational effectiveness and efficiency. | 0.08% |
| AI alone | Conduct presentations on research findings for clients or at research meetings. | Not published |
| Not much | Coach senior executives and managers on leadership and performance. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Conduct individual assessments, including interpreting measures and providing feedback for selection, placement, or promotion. | Not published |
| AI alone | Train clients to administer human resources functions, including testing, selection, and performance management. | Not published |
| AI + software | Assess employee performance. | 0.04% |
| AI alone | Identify training and development needs. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Formulate and implement training programs, applying principles of learning and individual differences. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Study organizational effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency, including the nature of workplace supervision and leadership. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write reports on research findings and implications to contribute to general knowledge or to suggest potential changes in organizational functioning. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write articles, white papers, or reports to share research findings and educate others. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Review research literature to remain current on psychological science issues. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct research studies of physical work environments, organizational structures, communication systems, group interactions, morale, or motivation to assess organizational functioning. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop new business by contacting potential clients, making sales presentations, and writing proposals. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Provide expert testimony in employment lawsuits. | Not published |
| AI + software | Counsel workers about job and career-related issues. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Participate in mediation and dispute resolution. | Not published |
| AI alone | Study consumers' reactions to new products and package designs, and to advertising efforts, using surveys and tests. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 10 of the 25 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 25 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
- #20 Present research or technical information
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research organizational behavior, processes, or performance | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Develop research plans or methodologies | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance |
Show all 15 activities
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications | |||
| Perform human resources activities | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Mediate disputes | |||
| Present information in legal proceedings |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation22%
- A document or report17%
- A plan or strategy14%
- An analysis or summary10%
- An explanation or answer8%
How they worked with Claude
75% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for industrial-organizational psychologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 7,106 moves out
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 10%
- 2 Human Resources Managers High +5.5% 8%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
- 5 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 10,778 moves in
- 1 Human Resources Managers High +5.5% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 7%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 6%
- 5 Training and Development Specialists Very high +10.8% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 4% some college
- 4% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 58% master's
- 31% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 11% bachelor's
- 39% master's
- 4% professional degree
- 46% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other psychologists” · 1,999 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other psychologists”
2 programs: Psychology, General and Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/19-3032.00