Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code RCI
Nuclear Technicians
Assist nuclear physicists, nuclear engineers, or other scientists in laboratory, power generation, or electricity production activities. May operate, maintain, or provide quality control for nuclear testing and research equipment. May monitor radiation.
Also called: Licensed Nuclear Operator, Nuclear Auxiliary Operator, Nuclear Equipment Operator (NEO), Operations Technician, Auxiliary Operator, Equipment Operator, Non-Licensed Nuclear Equipment Operator (NLO), Non-Licensed Nuclear Plant Operator (NLO).
O*NET 19-4051.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $110,240
- Middle half earn $99,110 to $123,990. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- -8% · Decline
- 6,000 jobs in 2024, projected 5,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Nuclear technicians".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety.
- Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment.
- Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair.
- Test plant equipment to ensure it is operating properly.
- Apply safety tags to equipment needing maintenance.
- Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety.
- Monitor instruments, gauges, or recording devices under direction of nuclear experimenters.
- Modify, devise, or maintain nuclear equipment used in operations.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Monitoring3.8 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
- Active Listening3.6 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
- Active Learning3.4 / 5
- Writing3.3 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security4.2 / 5
- Mechanical4.0 / 5
- Physics4.0 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.7 / 5
- Education and Training3.6 / 5
- Chemistry3.5 / 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.
- Realistic79
- Investigative60
- Artistic0
- Social14
- Enterprising21
- Conventional68
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)
- nuclear engineer · DE Nuklearingenieur/Nuklearingenieurin · FR ingénieur nucléaire/ingénieure nucléaire
- radiation protection officer · DE Strahlenschutzbeauftragter/Strahlenschutzbeauftragte · FR ingénieur en radioprotection/ingénieure en radioprotection
- chemistry technician · DE Chemielaborant/Chemielaborantin · FR technicien en chimie/technicienne en chimie
- nuclear technician · DE Nukleartechniker/Nukleartechnikerin · FR technicien en industrie nucléaire/technicienne en industrie nucléaire
- physics technician · DE Physikotechniker/Physikotechnikerin · FR technicien en physique/technicienne en physique
- radiation protection technician · DE Strahlenschutztechniker/Strahlenschutztechnikerin · FR technicien en radioprotection/technicienne en radioprotection
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed
- Laboratory technicians (3111)51,100 employed
- Engineering professionals n.e.c. (2129)124,800 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.
| 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 +0.17. 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 (19-4051).
Related careers
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