What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Economists in the U.S. earn more than $124,720 a year — the middle 80% land between $67,360 and $238,060. About 17,790 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Economists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$124,720typical pay / year
17,790people in this work
$238,060+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing3
Work with economic mathematical models
+Estimate the baseline carbon externality using the integrated economic model, calibrate parameters to the…
Work with economic mathematical models
+Estimate the baseline carbon externality using the integrated economic model, calibrate parameters to the latest emissions and GDP time series, and deliver model equations plus a short sensitivity table to the modelling group by Tuesday afternoon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft SQL ServerESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Write technical documents or academic articles
+Write a 5,000-word technical article on welfare impacts of climate adaptation investments, include methods,…
Write technical documents or academic articles
+Write a 5,000-word technical article on welfare impacts of climate adaptation investments, include methods, data sources, econometric results, robustness checks, and a clear abstract plus one table of key coefficients for peer review by June 15.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Monitor or analyze market and environmental trends.
+Monitor monthly indicators: carbon permit prices, agricultural yields, and regional GDP; produce a short…
Monitor or analyze market and environmental trends.
+Monitor monthly indicators: carbon permit prices, agricultural yields, and regional GDP; produce a short briefing that interprets trends, quantifies correlations with recent policy changes, and recommends three actionable signals for senior analysts by the 5th of each month.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Officejob descriptionsO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Keeping the record1
Teach courses in environmental economics.
+Design a ten‑week undergraduate course on environmental economics with weekly topics, assigned papers, two…
Teach courses in environmental economics.
+Design a ten‑week undergraduate course on environmental economics with weekly topics, assigned papers, two midterms, a data modelling project, and a template for student project grading, ready for the curriculum meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Get approval2
Advise on environmental policy decisions
+Advise the Ministry of Environment and Finance on the three policy options for carbon pricing, summarise…
Advise on environmental policy decisions
+Advise the Ministry of Environment and Finance on the three policy options for carbon pricing, summarise projected emissions and welfare impacts to 2035 with confidence ranges, note distributional effects for low-income households, and flag data gaps for ministers by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Develop programs or policy recommendations
+Draft a coherent program recommending market-based incentives and a targeted forestry payment scheme, include…
Develop programs or policy recommendations
+Draft a coherent program recommending market-based incentives and a targeted forestry payment scheme, include estimated costs, implementation timeline to 2028, monitoring metrics, and stakeholder risks, and prepare a one-page summary for the cabinet paper due Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
The daily work14
Perform scientific research
+Design and run the empirical study testing how land-use change affects regional carbon prices, collect the…
Perform scientific research
+Design and run the empirical study testing how land-use change affects regional carbon prices, collect the latest satellite-derived land-cover data and regional transaction records, run the econometric models, and draft the Methods and Results for submission in six weeks.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Scientific research methodology
+Write the research protocol that defines hypotheses, data sources, sampling strategy, variable definitions,…
Scientific research methodology
+Write the research protocol that defines hypotheses, data sources, sampling strategy, variable definitions, identification assumptions, robustness checks, and the pre-analysis plan for the land-use and carbon-price study, ready for internal review next Tuesday.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Develop models and provide expert testimony
+Build quantitative economic models of damages and abatement costs for the Riverbend contamination case,…
Develop models and provide expert testimony
+Build quantitative economic models of damages and abatement costs for the Riverbend contamination case, calibrate parameters to 2010–2025 regional data, produce a report and prepare sworn testimony I can deliver in deposition next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Evaluate policies addressing toxic substances
+Compare the health and cleanup cost impacts of the proposed Toxic Substances Bill by modelling exposure…
Evaluate policies addressing toxic substances
+Compare the health and cleanup cost impacts of the proposed Toxic Substances Bill by modelling exposure pathways, monetising outcomes for affected households, and write a policy brief with cost‑benefit figures for the parliamentary committee meeting on Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Research the economic implications of global warming
+Estimate economy-wide welfare impacts of a 2°C warming pathway using sectoral damage functions, run Monte…
Research the economic implications of global warming
+Estimate economy-wide welfare impacts of a 2°C warming pathway using sectoral damage functions, run Monte Carlo uncertainty runs with current emissions forecasts, and draft an executive summary for the climate advisory board by Friday.
The tools that do the workC++Microsoft ExcelWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Evaluate the effectiveness of environmental regulations
+Assess how the 2018 emission standard changed compliance costs and pollution levels by estimating…
Evaluate the effectiveness of environmental regulations
+Assess how the 2018 emission standard changed compliance costs and pollution levels by estimating counterfactuals, test for distributional effects across income groups, and deliver a memo with policy recommendations for the regulator on Thursday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft AccessWikipedia
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Perform research and develop theories in economics
+Develop and test new theoretical models of resource pricing under uncertainty, derive comparative statics,…
Perform research and develop theories in economics
+Develop and test new theoretical models of resource pricing under uncertainty, derive comparative statics, run numerical examples calibrated to fisheries data, and submit a working paper draft to the department seminar next Monday.
The tools that do the workC#Microsoft ExcelESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Study trends
+Analyse recent trends in land‑use change and ecosystem service values from 2015–2025, produce trend charts…
Study trends
+Analyse recent trends in land‑use change and ecosystem service values from 2015–2025, produce trend charts and a short briefing that highlights emerging risks for the planning team meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workESRI ArcGISMicrosoft ExcelESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Analyse statistical data
+Assess the regional emissions and cost dataset, clean mismatches and outliers, run panel regressions to…
Analyse statistical data
+Assess the regional emissions and cost dataset, clean mismatches and outliers, run panel regressions to estimate marginal abatement costs by sector, produce tables and charts comparing 2010–2025 and flag data gaps before I write the methods section.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Advise on tax policies
+Draft policy advice on proposed carbon tax rates: estimate revenue and distributional impacts across income…
Advise on tax policies
+Draft policy advice on proposed carbon tax rates: estimate revenue and distributional impacts across income deciles, model firm-level pass-through to consumer prices, and recommend three rate structures with expected emissions reductions over five years.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Advise on product feasibility
+Evaluate the feasibility of the new low-carbon fertilizer product by comparing production costs, supply chain…
Advise on product feasibility
+Evaluate the feasibility of the new low-carbon fertilizer product by comparing production costs, supply chain emissions, likely market uptake under current subsidy regimes, and provide a go/no-go recommendation with break-even scenarios.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Advise on trend forecasts
+Produce trend forecasts for renewable energy adoption: fit alternative diffusion models to historical…
Advise on trend forecasts
+Produce trend forecasts for renewable energy adoption: fit alternative diffusion models to historical installation and price series, forecast adoption and grid penetration to 2035 under three policy scenarios, and summarise forecast uncertainty.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Analyse economic trends
+Analyse national GDP, sectoral output and emissions trends for the last decade, decompose drivers of change…
Analyse economic trends
+Analyse national GDP, sectoral output and emissions trends for the last decade, decompose drivers of change using index methods, and prepare a concise briefing showing which sectors drove decoupling and where policy should focus.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Execute analytical mathematical calculations
+Run the required analytical calculations to estimate social cost of carbon inputs: combine damage function…
Execute analytical mathematical calculations
+Run the required analytical calculations to estimate social cost of carbon inputs: combine damage function parameters, discount rate scenarios, and emissions trajectories to produce central estimates and sensitivity ranges for the impact assessment.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Says who?
These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
The rest of the map
Same library, five ways in.
Copyright © LLOS.ai · 2026 — original pedagogy, voice, and design — all rights reserved.
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses