Operations research analysts: AI exposure and career outlook
Operations research analysts (SOC 15-2031) sit at the 95th percentile for measured AI exposure among the 342 occupations tracked here, measured from a composite of Microsoft Research and Anthropic Economic Index telemetry. An estimated 65% of tasks are already automated and 82% are being reshaped rather than replaced — both modelled figures, not direct measurements. Of the Claude usage observed in this occupation, 53% follows an automation pattern and 47% an augmentation pattern — close enough to even that the grouping below should be read loosely, which places it in the Displacement risk group: the routine layer of this work is being automated outright. The judgment layer is not, so the move is to own more of it. In Canada the role maps to NOC 21210 (Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries), and ESDC's COPS 2024–2033 outlook for that unit group is balance.
Figures last updated 2026-06. Every number on this page is labelled measured or modelled; where a source has no coverage for this occupation, it says so rather than showing a zero.
Key facts
- SOC code
- 15-2031
- Canada NOC 2021
- 21210
- TEER level
- 1 — University Degree
- COPS outlook
- Balance
What the measurements actually say
Three independent studies measure AI exposure for this occupation directly. The two percentages below them are ours, modelled from those measurements.
| Metric | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| AI applicability | 31% | Measured — Microsoft Research, from 200,000 Copilot conversations classified against O*NET work activities. |
| Observed AI usage | 43% | Measured — Anthropic Economic Index, share of tasks observed being performed with Claude (CC-BY 4.0). |
| Academic AI exposure | 96th percentile | Measured — Felten-Raj-Seamans AIOE index across 774 occupations; the index underlying Statistics Canada's Canadian estimates. |
| Automation-pattern usage | 53% | Measured — the share of observed Claude usage in this occupation where the task is handed over rather than iterated on (Anthropic Economic Index). |
| Augmentation-pattern usage | 47% | Measured — the complement of the row above; the two sum to 100% by construction. This is the pattern where the person stays in the loop. |
| Estimated task automation (modelled) | 65% | Modelled from this occupation's measured telemetry composite, mapped through anchors calibrated to Anthropic's published aggregate findings. Our estimate, not per-occupation telemetry. |
| Estimated task reshaping (modelled) | 82% | Share of tasks where AI acts as co-pilot rather than replacement. Modelled from the measured telemetry composite, calibrated to BCG's published aggregate reshaping rates. Our estimate. |
This skill domain faces significant AI substitution. The opportunity is in pivoting to AI orchestration and higher-order human judgment within the domain.
In Canada: NOC 21210
Operations research analysts map to NOC 21210 — Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries at TEER 1 (University Degree). ESDC's COPS 2024–2033 projection for this unit group is Balance.
Mapped via Statistics Canada's official SOC 2018 → NOC 2016 → NOC 2021 correspondence tables. TEER is the second digit of the official NOC code, so it cannot disagree with it.
What this job actually involves
These are the O*NET task statements for Operations research analysts— the work itself, as reported by people doing the job — grouped by the work activity each task belongs to. Showing 12 of 17, core tasks first.
The exposure figures above are for the occupation as a whole. We do not have a per-task measurement: no published dataset tells us which of these specific tasks AI is doing. Read this as what the job is made of, not as a ranking of what is at risk.
9 of these 12statements do carry one measured signal: Anthropic publishes, per O*NET task, how much of the observed Claude usage on it looked like automation rather than iteration. Those are marked below. It still says how people use AI on that task, not how much of it AI can do — and the unmarked statements carry nothing rather than inheriting the occupation's figure.
Microsoft's applicability score was itself produced by classifying Copilot conversations against the O*NET work-activity catalogue — the same catalogue these groups come from. The published file gives one number per occupation, not one per activity, so we can tell you that 31% of this occupation's work activities are covered by observed AI usage, but not which ones.
Thinking Creatively · 3 tasks
Perform validation and testing of models to ensure adequacy, and reformulate models, as necessary.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET) · 38% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Formulate mathematical or simulation models of problems, relating constants and variables, restrictions, alternatives, conflicting objectives, and their numerical parameters.
Core task · Importance 4.4/5 (O*NET) · 36% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Design, conduct, and evaluate experimental operational models in cases where models cannot be developed from existing data.
Core task · Importance 4.0/5 (O*NET)
Analyzing Data or Information · 2 tasks
Analyze information obtained from management to conceptualize and define operational problems.
Core task · Importance 4.3/5 (O*NET) · 57% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Study and analyze information about alternative courses of action to determine which plan will offer the best outcomes.
Core task · Importance 4.3/5 (O*NET) · 34% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Documenting/Recording Information · 2 tasks
Present the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.
Core task · Importance 4.6/5 (O*NET) · 73% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Prepare management reports defining and evaluating problems and recommending solutions.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET) · 80% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others · 2 tasks
Collaborate with others in the organization to ensure successful implementation of chosen problem solutions.
Core task · Importance 4.4/5 (O*NET)
Collaborate with senior managers and decision makers to identify and solve a variety of problems and to clarify management objectives.
Core task · Importance 4.3/5 (O*NET)
Getting Information · 1 task
Observe the current system in operation, and gather and analyze information about each of the component problems, using a variety of sources.
Core task · Importance 4.4/5 (O*NET) · 88% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Processing Information · 1 task
Define data requirements, and gather and validate information, applying judgment and statistical tests.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET) · 62% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Making Decisions and Solving Problems · 1 task
Specify manipulative or computational methods to be applied to models.
Core task · Importance 4.0/5 (O*NET) · 44% of observed AI use on this task is automation-pattern
Task statements and work activities from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not reviewed or approved this material.
That's the average. Is this you?
Everything above describes Operations research analysts as a whole. Three questions, and nothing is stored or sent.
Where are you in your career?
What does your week mostly look like?
Is your employer deploying AI?
Where the leverage is
Transition to high-value advisory, complex case analysis, or AI system oversight. The pivot is to move from routine execution to AI orchestration and quality assurance.
Cognitive, information-based tasks are highly exposed. Entry-level displacement pressure is high, necessitating transition to advisory and governance roles.
Master workflow automation platforms (e.g., Make, Zapier, CRM integrations) to double your output and position for fractional leadership roles.
This guidance is written per exposure band — three texts across all 342 occupations, framed on the ILO's transformation-versus-displacement distinction. It is editorial guidance for the high risk band, not an occupation-specific research finding about operations research analysts.
Sources for this occupation
Only the sources that hold data for operations research analysts are listed. A study that does not cover this occupation is not cited here.
- Microsoft Research — Working with AI (Tomlinson et al., arXiv:2507.07935): Measured AI applicability, from 200,000 anonymised Copilot conversations classified against O*NET work activities.
- Anthropic Economic Index: Measured observed AI usage per occupation, from Anthropic's open per-SOC dataset (CC-BY 4.0).
- Felten, Raj & Seamans — AI Occupational Exposure index: Measured academic exposure percentile; the index underlying Statistics Canada's Canadian AI-exposure estimates (Mehdi & Morissette, 2024).
- O*NET Database 31.0 (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0: The occupation's task statements and work activities, verbatim. Joined on SOC 2018 with no crosswalk — O*NET-SOC is built on SOC — and carrying no claim about which tasks AI touches.
- Anthropic Economic Index — collaboration split (release 2026-06-26, CC-BY 4.0): Measured share of observed Claude usage following an automation rather than an augmentation pattern. This is the second axis of the grouping above.
- Statistics Canada NOC 2021 concordance: Official SOC 2018 → NOC 2016 V1.3 → NOC 2021 V1.0 correspondence tables. TEER is the second digit of the resolved code, so we report it only where the concordance gave a single candidate.
- ESDC COPS 2024–2033: Projected labour-market assessment per NOC 2021 unit group, from the Canadian Occupational Projection System open dataset.
- BCG — AI Will Reshape More Jobs Than It Replaces (April 3, 2026): Published aggregate reshaping rates, used to calibrate our modelled percentages. The per-occupation figures here are our estimates, not BCG's data.
What is happening to this function
This occupation is one of the Analysis & Insight roles this product is built for. The evidence across the whole function, and the case against it, is set out separately.
Analysis & InsightRelated occupations
Other roles in Technology.
This is the picture for the role. What about your skills?
These numbers describe an occupation, not a person. Map your own skills against them, see which pathways stay open, and plan the transition you actually want.