AI-exposure ranking

The 50 safest occupations from AI automation

Ranked by AI-exposure score, O*NET task analysis of more than 18,000 occupational tasks across 832 occupations. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 (O*NET 30.0, as of May 2024), the least-exposed work is hands-on and hard to automate. See our methodology for how each score is computed.

Safest role: Helpers--electricians
Its AI exposure: 5%
Top-10 average: 12.1%
Also growing: 36/50

The short version

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET task analysis of more than 18,000 occupational tasks across 832 occupations, the least AI-exposed work is hands-on and unpredictable - skilled trades, hands-on healthcare, and physical service roles. Helpers--electricians tops the list at just 5% exposure, and 36 of these 50 occupations are also projected to add jobs through 2034, resilience and demand in the same roles.

Scores reflect O*NET 30.0 task data (as of BLS May 2024); see our methodology for how each occupation's AI-exposure score is computed.

The full ranking

#	Occupation	AI exposure	Growth 2024–34	Median wage
1	Helpers--electricians	5%	+0.2%	$39,890
2	Physicians, all other	11%	+2.5%	-
3	Manufactured building and mobile home installers	11%	+5.9%	$41,080
4	Pediatricians, general	13%	+0.8%	$210,130
5	Electricians	13%	+9.5%	$62,350
6	Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians	13%	+11.0%	$52,080
7	Aircraft mechanics and service technicians	13%	+4.0%	$78,680
8	Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	14%	+3.6%	$38,090
9	Stonemasons	14%	-3.0%	$51,990
10	Drywall and ceiling tile installers	14%	+4.2%	$58,140
11	Recreational vehicle service technicians	14%	+11.5%	$50,540
12	Orderlies	15%	+3.3%	$37,700
13	Cement masons and concrete finishers	15%	+1.8%	$54,660
14	Terrazzo workers and finishers	15%	-11.1%	$57,260
15	Construction laborers	15%	+7.3%	$46,730
16	Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining	15%	-0.4%	$52,550
17	Millwrights	15%	+0.0%	$65,170
18	Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers	15%	+2.3%	$38,860
19	Agricultural equipment operators	16%	+7.7%	$42,580
20	Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers	16%	-4.2%	$62,630
21	Structural metal fabricators and fitters	16%	-16.3%	$49,900
22	Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other	16%	+2.0%	$113,730
23	Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	16%	-3.3%	$35,690
24	Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators	17%	+3.2%	$51,650
25	Roofers	17%	+5.9%	$50,970
26	Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters	17%	-10.5%	$46,480
27	Refractory materials repairers, except brickmasons	17%	-16.9%	$58,540
28	Foundry mold and coremakers	17%	-25.9%	$45,700
29	Healthcare social workers	18%	+7.7%	$68,090
30	Mental health and substance abuse social workers	18%	+9.7%	$60,060
31	Glaziers	18%	+3.3%	$55,440
32	Mechanical door repairers	18%	+11.4%	$51,050
33	Electrical power-line installers and repairers	18%	+6.6%	$92,560
34	Wind turbine service technicians	18%	+49.9%	$62,580
35	Engine and other machine assemblers	18%	-21.1%	$52,540
36	Clergy	19%	+1.0%	$60,820
37	Prosthodontists	19%	+4.5%	-
38	General internal medicine physicians	19%	+3.3%	$236,350
39	Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric	19%	+4.1%	-
40	Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	19%	-5.0%	$36,150
41	Psychiatrists	19%	+6.1%	-
42	Pediatric surgeons	19%	+1.5%	-
43	Occupational therapy aides	19%	+2.5%	$37,370
44	Animal caretakers	19%	+12.1%	$33,470
45	Lighting technicians	20%	-4.6%	$60,560
46	Bicycle repairers	20%	-2.3%	$40,360
47	Musical instrument repairers and tuners	20%	+1.4%	$45,320
48	Maintenance and repair workers, general	20%	+3.8%	$48,620
49	Cleaners of vehicles and equipment	20%	+3.9%	$35,270
50	Athletes and sports competitors	21%	+5.5%	$62,360

Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) for AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 for growth and wages. Ranked across 832 tracked occupations.

How this ranking is built

Each occupation's AI-exposure score derives from O*NET 30.0 task data: every task is rated for automation potential, with routine cognitive work (data entry, monitoring) weighted high and non-automatable work (manual dexterity, social perceptiveness, judgment in unstructured settings) weighted near zero. Task scores are aggregated by importance and level, then normalized to a 0–100% occupation score. Lower scores rank higher here. Employment growth and wage figures come from BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034.

Caveats and limitations

Scores estimate current task automatability and may shift as AI capabilities advance. The analysis focuses on replacement risk, not augmentation; it omits geographic and demographic variation beyond national aggregates; and BLS projections carry their own uncertainty intervals. Use it as a directional guide, not a guarantee.

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Compiled by PlainWorkforce Editorial, AI Workforce Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

The full ranking

How this ranking is built

Caveats and limitations

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