Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

No strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.56
• Examine and sort into lots articles to be cleaned, according to color, fabric, dirt content, and cleaning technique required.49
• Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.48

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Inspect soiled articles to determine sources of stains, to locate color imperfections, and to identify items requiring special treatment.20
• Apply bleaching powders to spots and spray them with steam to remove stains from fabrics that do not respond to other cleaning solvents.33
• Spray steam, water, or air over spots to flush out chemicals, dry material, raise naps, or brighten colors.33

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 40 puts Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 0 of 20 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 15 augmentable, and 5 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: adopt AI deliberately on the augmentable tasks and build visible evidence of the durable ones.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

Shown only when the target is at least 10 points lower under the same score version and skill overlap is at least 50%. These are adjacent roles with lower task exposure — not guaranteed “safe careers”.

Labor-market context

• $34,890median wage
• 198,040employed
• 31,900annual openings
• +5.4%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment 40
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials 35
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders 52
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers 31
• Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders 51
• Machine Feeders and Offbearers 47

FAQ — Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

What does a score of 40 mean for a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers?

It means that, weighted across the 20 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 40 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

This role has no strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Inspect soiled articles to determine sources of stains, to locate color imperfections, and to identify items requiring special treatment; Apply bleaching powders to spots and spray them with steam to remove stains from fabrics that do not respond to other cleaning solvents; Spray steam, water, or air over spots to flush out chemicals, dry material, raise naps, or brighten colors. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.