Takeover Tracker
29%medium risk
Physicists
vs

49 shared · 33 different

core competencies

33%medium risk
Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricPhysicistsHuman Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
Risk Score29.3%33.4%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile35th59th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)6 / 153 / 15
Median Salary$166,290$101,140
Employment21K350K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Physics
Psychology
Science
MathematicsAI-Vulnerable
Mathematical Reasoning
Number Facility
MathematicsAI-Vulnerable
Originality
ProgrammingAI-Vulnerable
Computers and Electronics
Oral Expression
Education and Training

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Physicists

34%

total discount

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

32%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Physicists

6 of 15 at risk
76%Direct testing and monitoring of contamination of radioactive equipment, and recording of personnel and plant area radiation exposure data.
53%Write research proposals to receive funding.
53%Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
52%Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.
51%Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

3 of 15 at risk
86%Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, or validation.
85%Review health, safety, accident, or worker compensation records to evaluate safety program effectiveness or to identify jobs with high incidence of injury.
51%Assess the user-interface or usability characteristics of products.
49%Perform functional, task, or anthropometric analysis, using tools such as checklists, surveys, videotaping or force measurement.
49%Develop or implement research methodologies or statistical analysis plans to test and evaluate developmental prototypes used in new products or processes, such as cockpit designs, user workstations, or computerized human models.

Wage Comparison

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists earns -$65,150(-39%) vs Physicists
PhysicistsHuman Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
10th
$80,020$70,000
25th
$117,450$81,910
Median
$166,290$101,140
75th
$210,260$127,480
90th
$239,200$157,140

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Physicists2028–2035
Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Physicists has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Physicists

$117,534

from $166,290

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

$67,369

from $101,140

After adjusting for AI risk, Physicists offers $50,164 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Physicists

0

Unique to Human

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Creativity
Regulatory Barriers
Social Intelligence
Decision Complexity
PhysicistsHuman Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
Find transitions from PhysicistsFind transitions from Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists