Anesthesiologists
SOC Code: 29-1211
Anesthesiologists carries a 29% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk) and +3.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 45,300 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 29% AI exposure, Anesthesiologists sits 8 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 27% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
64/100
Anesthesiologists, weighted across 2 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage N/A N/A
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C +3.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B 29% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Anesthesiologists in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Graduate credential among the thinner entry shelves
Anesthesiologists is in the Graduate band (113 of 832) with BLS pace Average (378/832). Graduate entry is a minority shelf - pairing it with average growth is the standing that separates this SOC from bachelor-dominated neighbors.
Where Anesthesiologists sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Anesthesiologists sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
29% Lower than most lower than 73% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Anesthesiologists vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Anesthesiologists is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Anesthesiologists's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 29-1211) code. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Anesthesiologists be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Anesthesiologists. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
- 2. Record type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.
- 3. Provide and maintain life support and airway management and help prepare patients for emergency surgery.
- 4. Administer anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.
- 5. Examine patient, obtain medical history, and use diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.
- 6. Position patient on operating table to maximize patient comfort and surgical accessibility.
- 7. Coordinate administration of anesthetics with surgeons during operation.
- 8. Decide when patients have recovered or stabilized enough to be sent to another room or ward or to be sent home following outpatient surgery.
- 9. Confer with other medical professionals to determine type and method of anesthetic or sedation to render patient insensible to pain.
- 10. Order laboratory tests, x-rays, and other diagnostic procedures.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Science
- Complex Problem Solving
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
Knowledge Areas
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- English Language
- Chemistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Anesthesiologists?
Anesthesiologists has an AI exposure score of 29%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Anesthesiologists?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Anesthesiologists is projected to grow by 3.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 45,300 workers.
What skills are needed for Anesthesiologists?
Key skills for Anesthesiologists include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, and others. Typical entry-level education is Doctoral or professional degree.
How much do Anesthesiologists earn?
Wage data for Anesthesiologists varies by region, experience, and employer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes median wage estimates in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Anesthesiologists?
The typical entry-level education for Anesthesiologists is Doctoral or professional degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Internship/residency. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Anesthesiologists?
Anesthesiologists roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Anesthesiologists: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (29% here).
- Cooks, short order · AI exposure 29%
- Elevator and escalator installers and repairers · AI exposure 29%
- Fence erectors · AI exposure 29%
- First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers · AI exposure 29%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.2% here).
- Brickmasons and blockmasons · growth +3.2%
- Commercial and industrial designers · growth +3.2%
- Counter and rental clerks · growth +3.2%
- Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers · growth +3.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 45 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Anesthesiologists' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Anesthesiologists side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).