O*NET-SOC code
39-4011.00

Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.

  • Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08

    Low· relative

    LowFour relative bandsVery high

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)

    831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band

    Source dataset (XLSX download)

  • Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03

    0.000

    0.000Range of values carried here0.745
    Scale, basis and source

    Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Mapped onto O*NET tasks

    Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value

    Source dataset (CSV download)

  • Data source: ILOPublished: 2025

    0.17

    0.09Range of values carried here0.70

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published

    Source dataset (PDF download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

Task-level exposure

Exposed tasks only

26 rated tasks · 1 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (3.8%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

  • Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
  • All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
Source
OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release
gh-main-0471612
License
MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI

Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.

Task (O*NET 27.2)βE1 + 0.5 × E2
Maintain records, such as itemized lists of clothing or valuables delivered with body and names of persons embalmed.

O*NET Task ID 4499

1.0
Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.

O*NET Task ID 4487

0.0
Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.

O*NET Task ID 4488

0.0
Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.

O*NET Task ID 4489

0.0
Close incisions, using needles and sutures.

O*NET Task ID 4490

0.0
Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.

O*NET Task ID 4491

0.0
Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.

O*NET Task ID 4492

0.0
Dress bodies and place them in caskets.

O*NET Task ID 4493

0.0
Perform the duties of funeral directors, including coordinating funeral activities.

O*NET Task ID 4494

0.0
Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.

O*NET Task ID 4495

0.0
Conduct interviews to arrange for the preparation of obituary notices, to assist with the selection of caskets or urns, and to determine the location and time of burials or cremations.

O*NET Task ID 4496

0.0
Attach trocar to pump-tube, start pump, and repeat probing to force embalming fluid into organs.

O*NET Task ID 4497

0.0
Perform special procedures necessary for remains that are to be transported to other states or overseas, or where death was caused by infectious disease.

O*NET Task ID 4498

0.0
Insert convex celluloid or cotton between eyeballs and eyelids to prevent slipping and sinking of eyelids.

O*NET Task ID 4500

0.0
Wash and dry bodies, using germicidal soap and towels or hot air dryers.

O*NET Task ID 4501

0.0
Arrange for transporting the deceased to another state for interment.

O*NET Task ID 4502

0.0
Supervise funeral attendants and other funeral home staff.

O*NET Task ID 4503

0.0
Pack body orifices with cotton saturated with embalming fluid to prevent escape of gases or waste matter.

O*NET Task ID 4504

0.0
Assist with placing caskets in hearses and organize cemetery processions.

O*NET Task ID 4505

0.0
Serve as pallbearers, attend visiting rooms, and provide other assistance to the bereaved.

O*NET Task ID 4506

0.0
Direct casket and floral display placement and arrange guest seating.

O*NET Task ID 4507

0.0
Arrange funeral home equipment and perform general maintenance.

O*NET Task ID 4508

0.0
Assist coroners at death scenes or at autopsies, file police reports, and testify at inquests or in court, if employed by a coroner.

O*NET Task ID 4509

0.0
Press diaphragm to evacuate air from lungs.

O*NET Task ID 4510

0.0
Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.

O*NET Task ID 20257

0.0
Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.

O*NET Task ID 23930

0.0

β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (26)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)Type
Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.Core
Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.Core
Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.Core
Close incisions, using needles and sutures.Core
Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.Core
Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.Core
Dress bodies and place them in caskets.Core
Perform the duties of funeral directors, including coordinating funeral activities.Core
Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.Core
Conduct interviews to arrange for the preparation of obituary notices, to assist with the selection of caskets or urns, and to determine the location and time of burials or cremations.Core
Attach trocar to pump-tube, start pump, and repeat probing to force embalming fluid into organs.Core
Perform special procedures necessary for remains that are to be transported to other states or overseas, or where death was caused by infectious disease.Core
Maintain records, such as itemized lists of clothing or valuables delivered with body and names of persons embalmed.Core
Insert convex celluloid or cotton between eyeballs and eyelids to prevent slipping and sinking of eyelids.Core
Wash and dry bodies, using germicidal soap and towels or hot air dryers.Core
Arrange for transporting the deceased to another state for interment.Core
Supervise funeral attendants and other funeral home staff.Core
Pack body orifices with cotton saturated with embalming fluid to prevent escape of gases or waste matter.Core
Assist with placing caskets in hearses and organize cemetery processions.Core
Serve as pallbearers, attend visiting rooms, and provide other assistance to the bereaved.Core
Direct casket and floral display placement and arrange guest seating.Core
Arrange funeral home equipment and perform general maintenance.Core
Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.Core
Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.Core
Assist coroners at death scenes or at autopsies, file police reports, and testify at inquests or in court, if employed by a coroner.Supplemental
Press diaphragm to evacuate air from lungs.Supplemental

Occupation information

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025
4K
Projected employment, 2035
4K
Change (2025–35)
+0.7%
Median annual wage, 2025
$58,780
Typical education needed for entry
Associate's degree
lowest $30,890median wage across 825 detailed occupations, BLS EP 2025–35highest $559,030

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO codeKSCO titleRelationStatus
43232장례 지도사This occupation is narrowerconfirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ILO occupational description

AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.

  • ISCO-08 5163Undertakers and Embalmers

The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.

Undertakers and embalmers arrange funerals and perform various tasks in the disposal of human bodies.

Tasks

  • (a) making arrangements for, and conducting, funerals, cremations and burials;
  • (b) embalming human bodies to retard or arrest the process of decay;
  • (c) conforming to health and sanitation and ensuring that legal requirements concerning embalming are met;
  • (d) incising and closing incisions on various parts of the body and reshaping or reconstructing disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary;
  • (e) dressing bodies and placing them in caskets;
  • (f) conducting interviews to arrange for preparation of obituary notices, to assist with the selection of caskets or urns, and to determine the location and time of burials or cremations.

Example occupations

Embalmer · Undertaker

Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

  • embalmerESCO 5163.2Same scope

    Embalmers arrange for the removal of bodies of deceased persons from the place of death and they prepare the bodies for burials and cremations. They clean and disinfect the bodies, use make-up to create the impression of a more natural appearance and hide any visible damage. They are in close contact with funeral services directors in order to comply with the wishes of the deceased family members.

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME codeROME title (French)Relation
K2603Thanatopracteur / ThanatopractriceSame scopeprovisional

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 codeCNO-11 title (Spanish)Relation
5892Empleados de pompas fúnebres y embalsamadoresThis occupation is narrowerprovisional

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB codeKldB title (German)Relation
82402Berufe im Bestattungswesen - fachlich ausgerichtete TätigkeitenRelated, not a match
82403Berufe im Bestattungswesen - komplexe SpezialistentätigkeitenRelated, not a match

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO codeJSCO title (Japanese)Relation
425葬儀師,火葬作業員This occupation is narrowerprovisional

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources