Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
Machines can already do 30% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 72%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 30% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2032, and 72% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 20,370 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $44,810 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 58% for contact with people.
- Also called: Bean Roaster, Coffee Roaster, Line Operator, Machine Operator.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products | 17% | 30% to 75% | |
| Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages | 14% | 30% to 75% | |
| Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards | 10% | 20% to 60% | |
| Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand | 10% | 30% to 75% | |
| Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps | 6% | 30% to 75% | |
| Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail | 6% | 35% to 70% | |
| Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing | 5% | 70% to 95% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders70% of tasks by 2035 · US median $38,180
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders67% of tasks by 2035 · US median $38,760
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic63% of tasks by 2035 · US median $46,330
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders65% of tasks by 2035 · US median $48,990
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2032. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
Machines can do 30% of the tasks of food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders today and 72% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 51-3091.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/food-and-tobacco-roasting-baking-and-drying-machine-operators-and-tenders/