Photographic products operator

#76Declining

4/5

Key facts

−5.7%jobs, 2025 to 2035

United States

This job is declining in the United States. AI exposure: very low according to the ILO, moderate according to the BLS. Employment change in the United States by 2035: −5.7% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Photographic products machine operators (ISCO 8132). Photographic products machine operators operate and monitor equipment which makes photographic film and paper, and which processes exposed photographic film and makes prints.

Page built from official classifications (ILO, ESCO); figures cover all the jobs grouped here.

31 job titles linked to this page

Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.

film developer
film lab developer
film lab expert
film lab specialist
film lab technician
film lab technologist
film laboratory developer
film laboratory expert
film laboratory specialist
film laboratory technician
film laboratory technologist
motion picture developer
motion picture film developer
motion picture film expert
motion picture film specialist
motion picture film technician
motion picture film technologist
motion picture films developer
motion pictures film developer
photo developer
photo lab technician
photo laboratory technician
photo retoucher
photograph developer
photograph lab technician
photograph laboratory technician
photograph printer
photographic developer
photography developer
photography lab technician
photography laboratory technician

What next?

Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.

ChangingPhotographer
ChangingChemistry and physics lab technician

Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.

Gauges

Risk 4/5 · High

AI exposureMediumBLS AI exposure category "moderate" (2026), higher than the ILO 2025 index (very low)

Employment outlookSharp declineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Photographic process workers and processing machine operators)

Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job

PayLowBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $40,610

EntryQuickBLS, typical education needed for entry

No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job: this gauge stays empty. How countries are compared

Sources

AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 · official statistics
Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 · large survey
ESCO, European classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations (job titles and O*NET crosswalk)European Commission · version 1.2 · official statistics
Jobs in 2030: projections by occupational family (summary table)Dares and France Stratégie · March 2022 · official statistics
Labour needs survey (BMO) 2026France Travail · 2026 · large survey

Checked on 27 October 2026.