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Lots of AI, still growing

30 large jobs where AI or robots touch at least 3 hours of the shift, and BLS still expects growth.

Time card for ophthalmic medical technicians: 3h 57m of an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robotsTime card: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians →

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If AI touches so much of a job, why is it still growing? Of the 75 large U.S. jobs where AI or robots touch at least 3 hours of a typical shift, 30 are still projected by BLS to grow 4% or more by 2035, and only 22 are projected to shrink. Task exposure and job counts move separately.

One difference shows up in the data: in the growing jobs, 9% of the touched time is AI helping a person, against 2% in the shrinking ones. Beyond that, the reasons are outside what this data can show. Demand for the work can rise faster than AI saves time, and the tasks left to people are often the ones that define the job. BLS projections don't single out AI as a cause in either direction.

High AI time, still growing

30 jobs
HumanWith AIAIRobot
  1. Ophthalmic Medical Technicians3h 57m touched · +21.4% by 2035 · 71,000 workers
  2. Information Security Analysts4h 17m touched · +21% by 2035 · 191,000 workers
  3. Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers3h 6m touched · +17.9% by 2035 · 221,000 workers
  4. Operations Research Analysts3h 13m touched · +11.9% by 2035 · 109,000 workers
  5. Software Developers3h 20m touched · +10.2% by 2035 · 1.7 million workers
  6. Management Analysts3h 2m touched · +10.1% by 2035 · 898,000 workers
  7. Database Architects5h touched · +9.4% by 2035 · 67,000 workers
  8. Couriers and Messengers5h 6m touched · +8% by 2035 · 69,000 workers
  9. Computer Systems Analysts3h 6m touched · +7.9% by 2035 · 520,000 workers
  10. Driver/Sales Workers4h 18m touched · +7.9% by 2035 · 409,000 workers
  11. Medical Records Specialists4h 39m touched · +7.8% by 2035 · 195,000 workers
  12. Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers3h 18m touched · +7.3% by 2035 · 50,000 workers
  13. Financial and Investment Analysts5h 2m touched · +7.2% by 2035 · 362,000 workers
  14. Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs5h 16m touched · +7.1% by 2035 · 249,000 workers
  15. Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists6h 19m touched · +7% by 2035 · 900,000 workers
  16. Marketing Managers3h 44m touched · +6.9% by 2035 · 395,000 workers
  17. Human Resources Specialists3h 26m touched · +6.4% by 2035 · 912,000 workers
  18. Chemists3h 11m touched · +6.4% by 2035 · 83,000 workers
  19. Light Truck Drivers6h 29m touched · +6.3% by 2035 · 983,000 workers
  20. Travel Guides4h 23m touched · +6.3% by 2035 · 54,000 workers
  21. Web and Digital Interface Designers3h 2m touched · +6% by 2035 · 113,000 workers
  22. Postsecondary Business Teachers3h 20m touched · +5.9% by 2035 · 82,000 workers
  23. Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers3h 26m touched · +5.7% by 2035 · 187,000 workers
  24. Chemical Technicians4h 53m touched · +4.9% by 2035 · 58,000 workers
  25. Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants3h 3m touched · +4.8% by 2035 · 962,000 workers
  26. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers3h 41m touched · +4.7% by 2035 · 953,000 workers
  27. Bioinformatics Scientists3h 38m touched · +4.7% by 2035 · 56,000 workers
  28. Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators5h 28m touched · +4.6% by 2035 · 478,000 workers
  29. Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity5h 54m touched · +4.1% by 2035 · 159,000 workers
  30. Financial Quantitative Analysts4h 15m touched · +4.1% by 2035 · 132,000 workers

High AI time, projected to shrink

22 jobs
  1. Data Entry Keyers4h 18m touched · -25.5% by 2035 · 127,000 workers
  2. Telemarketers4h 19m touched · -21.4% by 2035 · 58,000 workers
  3. Tellers4h 21m touched · -13.2% by 2035 · 329,000 workers
  4. Interviewers3h 4m touched · -10.4% by 2035 · 148,000 workers
  5. Computer Programmers5h 48m touched · -7.3% by 2035 · 92,000 workers
  6. Cashiers3h 47m touched · -6.5% by 2035 · 3.1 million workers
  7. Human Resources Assistants4h 16m touched · -6.2% by 2035 · 90,000 workers
  8. General Office Clerks4h 30m touched · -6% by 2035 · 2.5 million workers
  9. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants3h 53m touched · -6% by 2035 · 1.7 million workers
  10. Customer Service Representatives6h touched · -5.3% by 2035 · 2.6 million workers
  11. Hand Packers and Packagers3h 34m touched · -5% by 2035 · 560,000 workers
  12. First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers3h 13m touched · -3.7% by 2035 · 1.1 million workers
  13. Computer User Support Specialists4h 32m touched · -3.5% by 2035 · 717,000 workers
  14. Receptionists and Information Clerks3h 40m touched · -1.7% by 2035 · 910,000 workers
  15. Dishwashers3h 56m touched · -1% by 2035 · 477,000 workers
  16. Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing6h 24m touched · -0.9% by 2035 · 1.2 million workers
  17. Middle School Teachers4h 19m touched · -0.4% by 2035 · 620,000 workers
  18. Retail Salespersons4h 39m touched · -0.3% by 2035 · 3.9 million workers
  19. Secondary School Teachers3h 50m touched · -0.2% by 2035 · 1.1 million workers
  20. Tutors3h 46m touched · -0.2% by 2035 · 175,000 workers
  21. Billing and Posting Clerks4h 19m touched · -0.1% by 2035 · 404,000 workers
  22. Database Administrators3h 35m touched · -0.1% by 2035 · 70,000 workers

Large jobs means at least 50,000 U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025). Touched time comes from each job's time card; growth is the BLS 2025 to 2035 projection.

Cite or reuse this

Who's on the Clock (2026). "Why Jobs AI Touches Most Are Still Growing: The Data." whosontheclock.com/research/growing-despite-ai/. Data: O*NET 30.1, Anthropic Economic Index, BLS May 2025; accessed Oct 20, 2026.

Download the dataHow we measure

Data version: O*NET 30.1, Anthropic Economic Index (2025 usage, September 2026 robot study), BLS May 2025. Figures are estimates of task time, not measured hours, and don't predict job losses.