An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Bureau of Labor Statistics > Occupational Requirements Survey > Publications > Factsheets

Industrial engineers

Industrial engineer and two coworkers looking at paper blueprint at a construction site. Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.

For terms and definitions in this profile, see definitions of major terms.

Cognitive and mental requirements

The qualifications that workers need to use judgment, make decisions, interact with others, and adapt to changes in jobs.

In 2025, work was controlled by people for 7.3 percent of industrial engineers. Work was self-paced for 91.9 percent.

Table 1. Percentage of industrial engineers with cognitive and mental requirements, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Work schedule varies	9.2	90.8
Ability to pause work (and take brief unscheduled breaks)	>99.5	<0.5
Working around crowds	<0.5	>99.5
Telework routinely allowed	6.6	93.4
Supervising others	5.6	94.4
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Education, training, and experience requirements

The minimum level of formal education required, credentials necessary, on-the-job training, and prior work experience necessary for average performance in jobs. The time associated with these requirements is combined to calculate the specific vocational preparation level needed for the job.

In 2025, on-the-job training was required for 96.9 percent of industrial engineers.

Environmental conditions

The various hazards or difficulties that are in the area where workers perform their critical tasks.

In 2025, a quiet noise exposure was present for less than 10 percent of industrial engineers. Another 97.9 percent were exposed to moderate noise, less than 0.5 percent were exposed to loud noise, and less than 0.5 percent to very loud noise.

Physical demands

The physical activities required to perform tasks in jobs. The presence and, in some cases, duration of these activities are published.

In 2025, speaking was required for greater than 99.5 percent of industrial engineers and was not required for less than 0.5 percent. For less than 0.5 percent of workers, speaking was seldom required, for 36.4 percent speaking was frequently required, and for less than 0.5 percent speaking was required constantly.

Performing work in low postures was required for 35.8 percent of industrial engineers and was not required for 64.2 percent.

The choice to sit or stand when performing critical tasks was available to 87.4 percent of industrial engineers. On average, workers spent 65.7 percent of the workday sitting and 34.3 percent of the workday standing.

Table 2. Percentage of industrial engineers with physical demands, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Ability to choose to sit or stand for tasks	87.4	12.6
Driving	2.9	97.1
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey