Occupational therapy assistants
SOC Code: 31-2011
Occupational therapy assistants carries a 25% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $68,340 and +19.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 49,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 25% AI exposure, Occupational therapy assistants sits 12 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 15% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
83/100
Occupational therapy assistants, weighted across 3 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 B- $68,340
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +19.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A 25% 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 Occupational therapy assistants in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Associate / award entry with a named growth shelf
Entry credential Associate / award covers 99 of 832 occupations; BLS places this one in Much faster (31/832). Mid-credential standing - thicker than graduate shelves, thinner than HS-dominated mass.
Where Occupational therapy assistants sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Occupational therapy assistants sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
25% Among the lowest lower than 85% 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.
Occupational therapy assistants vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Occupational therapy assistants 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
Occupational therapy assistants'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 31-2011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Occupational therapy assistants 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 Occupational therapy assistants. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
- 2. Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
- 3. Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
- 4. Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
- 5. Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
- 6. Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
- 7. Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
- 8. Attend continuing education classes.
- 9. Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves.
- 10. Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of clients with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Therapy and Counseling
- Public Safety and Security
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Administrative
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Computers and Electronics
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Occupational therapy assistants?
Occupational therapy assistants has an AI exposure score of 25%, 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 Occupational therapy assistants?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Occupational therapy assistants is projected to grow by 19.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 49,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Occupational therapy assistants?
Key skills for Occupational therapy assistants include Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and others. Typical entry-level education is Associate's degree.
How much do Occupational therapy assistants earn?
The median annual wage for Occupational therapy assistants is $68,340, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Occupational therapy assistants?
The typical entry-level education for Occupational therapy assistants is Associate's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Occupational therapy assistants?
Occupational therapy assistants 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 Occupational therapy assistants: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (25% here).
- Dermatologists · AI exposure 25%
- Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors · AI exposure 25%
- Firefighters · AI exposure 25%
- Funeral attendants · AI exposure 25%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+19.2% here).
- Computer and information research scientists · growth +19.7%
- Ophthalmic medical technicians · growth +19.8%
- Financial examiners · growth +18.5%
- Hearing aid specialists · growth +18.4%
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 7 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Occupational therapy assistants' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Occupational therapy assistants 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).