Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
Architecture and Engineering
Watches people at work and interviews them about fatigue, interfaces, and what a task actually demands. Inspects sites for physical hazards, then measures loads, motions, and body dimensions using checklists, video, or force measurement. Recommends changes such as rearranging fixtures, reducing repetitive motions, or altering task sequences, and speaks for those users when engineers and managers set the design. Writes reports and presentations on the tests and findings. Suits people who like close observation of real jobs and turning those notes into safer layouts and tools.
Typical education: Master’s Degree
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$102'440
Median Wage Market Position
$102'440
What you might do
- Watch people at work to gather data
- Interview users about fatigue and interface problems
- Inspect work sites for physical hazards
- Analyze tasks with surveys, video, and force measures
- Recommend changes that ease heavy or repetitive work
- Speak for users when working with design teams
Skills that matter
- Direct observation of work and tests
- User interviews on fatigue and interfaces
- End-user advocacy with design teams
- Work-site checks for physical hazards
- Task, body-size, and force analysis
- Fixture changes that reduce strain
AI & the future of this role
Interface testing data and guideline checks are areas where automation might draft recommendations more quickly. Observing real users, navigating conflicting constraints, and signing off on safety-critical usability still tend to require human judgment.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details