Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code CRI

Biological Technicians

Assist biological and medical scientists. Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, monitor experiments, collect data and samples, make observations, and calculate and record results. May analyze organic substances, such as blood, food, and drugs.

Also called: Biological Science Lab Tech (Biological Science Laboratory Technician), Biological Science Technician (Biological Science Tech), Research Assistant, Research Associate, Biologist Aide, Biologist Technician (Biologist Tech), Environmental Technician (Environmental Tech), Fisheries Biological Technician (Fisheries Biological Tech).

O*NET 19-4021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $57,510; Middle half earn $48,130 to $71,520. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 63% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +3% · As fast as average; 82,700 jobs in 2024, projected 85,600. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Biological technicians".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals.
Monitor and observe experiments, recording production and test data for evaluation by research personnel.
Participate in the research, development, or manufacturing of medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations.
Feed livestock or laboratory animals.
Examine animals and specimens to detect the presence of disease or other problems.
Input data into databases.
Isolate, identify and prepare specimens for examination.
Monitor laboratory work to ensure compliance with set standards.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Science3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Writing3.5 / 5
Active Learning3.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.8 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Chemistry3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.2 / 5
Administrative2.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic77
Investigative73
Artistic3
Social16
Enterprising5
Conventional77

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

biologist · DE Biologe/Biologin · FR biologiste
microbiologist · DE Mikrobiologe/Mikrobiologin · FR microbiologiste
biotechnical technician · DE Biotechniker/Biotechnikerin · FR technicien biotechnicien/technicienne biotechnicienne
scientific laboratory technician · DE Labortechniker Biowissenschaften/Labortechnikerin Biowissenschaften · FR technicien de laboratoire scientifique/technicienne de laboratoire scientifique
bacteriology technician · DE Bakteriologietechniker/Bakteriologietechnikerin · FR technicien bactériologiste/technicienne bactériologiste
biochemistry technician · DE Biochemietechniker/Biochemietechnikerin · FR technicien/technicienne biochimiste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed
Other researchers, unspecified discipline (2162)78,200 employed
Biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113)68,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.30. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-4021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test