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Industrial-Organizational Psychologists: Job Description

Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training, and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.

What Tasks Do Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Perform?

The day-to-day responsibilities of industrial-organizational psychologists span:

• Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.
• Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
• Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs.
• Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.
• Observe and interview workers to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs, as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction.
• Facilitate organizational development and change.
• Analyze job requirements and content to establish criteria for classification, selection, training, and other related personnel functions.
• Advise management concerning personnel, managerial, and marketing policies and practices and their potential effects on organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful industrial-organizational psychologists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Top Knowledge Areas

Types of Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Jobs

Common job titles for this role include:

• Consulting Psychologist
• Engineering Psychologist
• HR Consultant (Human Resources Consultant)
• HR OD Consultant (Human Resources Organizational Development Consultant)
• HR Psychologist (Human Resources Psychologist)
• I-O Practitioner (Industrial-Organizational Practitioner)
• I-O Psychologist (Industrial-Organizational Psychologist)
• Industrial Psychologist

Employment and Demand

There are about 48,627 industrial-organizational psychologists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -4.5% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$70,430
Hourly median	$33.86
10th percentile	$51,339
25th percentile	$60,884
75th percentile	$79,975
90th percentile	$89,521

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

How Much Do Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Make in Different U.S. States?

State	Annual median salary
California	$140,540
Texas	$130,630
Oregon	$94,180

Pay by U.S. Region

Compensation for industrial-organizational psychologists differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Far Western US	$119,935	100.0%	2.99

Top Industries Employing Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Most industrial-organizational psychologists are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	870	$123,120
Educational Services	70	$83,290
Management of Companies and Enterprises	30	$143,370

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists work in the following industries:

Tools and Technology

• Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Google Sheets (hot technology)
• Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
• Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
• Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The on-the-job environment of industrial-organizational psychologists tends to involve the following characteristics:

• E-Mail
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
• Telephone Conversations
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

Education and Training

Typical industrial-organizational psychologists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Human Resources Managers (Primary-Short)
• Training and Development Managers (Primary-Short)
• Education Administrators, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
• Medical and Health Services Managers (Supplemental)
• Social and Community Service Managers (Primary-Long)
• Human Resources Specialists (Primary-Short)
• Project Management Specialists (Primary-Long)
• Management Analysts (Primary-Short)

Where to Study

Aspiring industrial-organizational psychologists typically earn programs in:

Psychology

2 programs across 2 majors

• General Psychology
• Clinical & Counseling Psychology

Sources

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 19-3032.00 (Industrial-Organizational Psychologists).