Sound designer

#72Declining

4/5

Key facts

−3.1%jobs, 2025 to 2035

United States

This job is declining in the United States. AI exposure: low according to the ILO, moderate according to the BLS. Employment change in the United States by 2035: −3.1% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Creates and assembles the sounds, atmospheres and sound effects for films, video games, ads, shows or products.

169 job titles linked to this page

Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.

acoustics technician
ADR editor
audio & video operator
audio and video operator
audio board operator
audio designer
audio editor
audio engineer
audio engineer & sound artist
audio engineer and sound artist
audio engineer and sound designer
audio mastering engineer
audio mastering operator
audio operator
audio post-production technician
audio production technician
audio restorer
audio technician
audio video specialist
audio visual specialist
audio visual technician
audio-video operator
audio-video specialist
audio-video technician
audio-visual assistant
audio-visual engineer
audio-visual operator
audio-visual specialist
audio-visual technician
audio-visuals technician
audio/visual technician
audiovisual assistant
automatic dialogue replacement editor
AV technician
boom holder
boom operator
booth operator
broadcast engineering technician
broadcast technician
broadcast technicians
broadcast transmitter operator
broadcast transmitting equipment operator
broadcast transmitting technician
broadcasting engineer
broadcasting equipment operator
broadcasting technician
camera crane operator
camera equipment operator
camera operator
cameraman
camerawoman
cinema projectionist
composer & sound designer
composer and sound designer
dialogue editor
digital cinema projectionist
digital mastering technician
dubbing manager
equipment hire technician
equipment technician
event technician
film boom operator
film projectionist
foley artist
foley editor
front of house sound engineer
Front of house technician
graphics/video technician
image technician
lighting hire equipment technician
live sound artist
live sound engineer
live sound technician
live video operator
load cell hire technician
mastering engineer
mastering technician
mixing & mastering sound engineer
mixing and mastering engineer
movie projector operator
music and sound artist
music composer & sound designer
music composer and sound designer
music editor
music supervisor
PA man
PA woman
performance rental engineer
performance rental monitor
performance rental technician
production sound mixer assistant
projection operator
projection technician
projectionist
projector booth operator
projector operator
radio and TV technician
railcam operator
re-recording mixer
recording audio technician
recording engineer
recording sound engineer
recording sound technician
recording studio audio engineer
recording studio sound technician
recording studio technician
recording technician
remote head operator
rental equipment performance engineer
rental equipment performance technician
shotgun microphone operator
shotgun operator
sonic manipulator
sound artist
sound artist & designer
sound artist and audio engineer
sound artist and designer
sound audio technician
sound board operator
sound board technician
sound designer
sound designer & artist
sound designer & audio engineer
sound designer & composer
sound designer & engineer
sound designer & music composer
sound designer and artist
sound designer and audio engineer
sound designer and composer
sound designer and engineer
sound designer and music composer
sound editor
sound engineer
sound engineer & designer
sound engineer and designer
sound equipment hire technician
sound equipment technician
sound installation creator
sound mastering engineer
sound mixer
sound operator
sounds technician
special effects hire equipment technician
special effects sound technician
stage manager
stage sound technician
steadicam operator
studio sound engineer
studio technician
towercam operator
TV boom operator
venue performance monitor
venue technician
venue technician (rental equipment)
video and graphics operator
video and graphics technician
video camera operator
video conference technician
video operator
video projection operator
video projection technician
video technician
video/graphics technician
videographer
visual and graphic operator
visual projection operator
visuals operator
visuals technician
weight report technician

What next?

Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.

ChangingVideo editor
ChangingComposer

Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.

Gauges

Risk 4/5 · High

AI exposureMediumBLS AI exposure category "moderate" (2026), higher than the ILO 2025 index (low)

Employment outlookSharp declineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Sound engineering technicians)

Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job

PayHighBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $73,130

EntryMediumBLS, typical education needed for entry

No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job: this gauge stays empty. How countries are compared

Sources

AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 · official statistics
Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 · large survey
Jobs in 2030: projections by occupational family (summary table)Dares and France Stratégie · March 2022 · official statistics
Labour needs survey (BMO) 2026France Travail · 2026 · large survey
EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annexEuropean Labour Authority · June 2026 · official statistics

Checked on 27 October 2026.