Crematory Operators
Personal Care and Service Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 39-4012.00
Operate crematory equipment to reduce human or animal remains to bone fragments in accordance with state and local regulations. Duties may include preparing the body for cremation and performing general maintenance on crematory equipment. May use traditional flame-based cremation, calcination, or alkaline hydrolysis.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-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
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.18–0.22· 4 ISCO-08 groups
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
- Data source: OpenAIPublished: 2023
0.125
0.000Range of values carried here0.844Scale, basis and source
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.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 5152Domestic Housekeepers0.20
- ISCO-08 5162Companions and Valets0.22
- ISCO-08 5169Personal Services Workers Not Elsewhere Classified0.21
- ISCO-08 9510Street and Related Service Workers0.18
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only12 rated tasks · 1 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (8.3%)
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 |
|---|---|
Read documentation to confirm the identity of the deceased.O*NET Task ID 23188 | 0.5 |
Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment.O*NET Task ID 23180 | 0.0 |
Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced.O*NET Task ID 23181 | 0.0 |
Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing.O*NET Task ID 23182 | 0.0 |
Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased.O*NET Task ID 23183 | 0.0 |
Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.O*NET Task ID 23184 | 0.0 |
Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner.O*NET Task ID 23185 | 0.0 |
Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis.O*NET Task ID 23186 | 0.0 |
Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder.O*NET Task ID 23187 | 0.0 |
Remove jewelry, watches, or other personal items from the deceased prior to cremation.O*NET Task ID 23189 | 0.0 |
Sweep or vacuum the cremation chamber to retrieve remains for storage in an urn or other container.O*NET Task ID 23190 | 0.0 |
Transport the deceased to a funeral home or crematory using a van, hearse, or other vehicle.O*NET Task ID 23191 | 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 (12)
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 |
|---|---|
| Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment. | — |
| Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced. | — |
| Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing. | — |
| Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased. | — |
| Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends. | — |
| Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner. | — |
| Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis. | — |
| Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder. | — |
| Read documentation to confirm the identity of the deceased. | — |
| Remove jewelry, watches, or other personal items from the deceased prior to cremation. | — |
| Sweep or vacuum the cremation chamber to retrieve remains for storage in an urn or other container. | — |
| Transport the deceased to a funeral home or crematory using a van, hearse, or other vehicle. | — |
0.63/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing. | E0 none |
| Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Remove jewelry, watches, or other personal items from the deceased prior to cremation. | E0 none |
| Sweep or vacuum the cremation chamber to retrieve remains for storage in an urn or other container. | E0 none |
| Transport the deceased to a funeral home or crematory using a van, hearse, or other vehicle. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 3K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 3K
- Change (2025–35)
- +3.1%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $43,650
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
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 code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88209 | 그 외 재활용 처리 및 소각로 조작원 | This occupation is narrower | confirmed |
| 43339 | 그 외 반려동물 관리 종사원 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
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 5152Domestic Housekeepers
- ISCO-08 5162Companions and Valets
- ISCO-08 5169Personal Services Workers Not Elsewhere Classified
- ISCO-08 9510Street and Related Service Workers
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 5163.2This occupation is broader
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)
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 code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| K2604 | Agent / Agente de crématorium | Same scopeprovisional |
| K2603 | Thanatopracteur / Thanatopractrice | Related, not a matchprovisional |
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 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 5892 | Empleados de pompas fúnebres y embalsamadores | This 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 code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 82402 | Berufe im Bestattungswesen - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 82401 | Berufe im Bestattungswesen - Helfer- und Anlerntätigkeiten | Related, 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 code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 425 | 葬儀師，火葬作業員 | This occupation is narrower |
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