The most common jobs AI cannot do
Occupations in the untouched band, ranked by US employment, largest first. Release v2026.Q3, capability reference date 2026-09-15, built on O*NET 31.0.
A job AI cannot do is only useful news if there are openings in it. These are the untouched occupations with the most people doing them now.
| # | Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Median pay | Rank of 923 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | 18.9% | 7.2% | $31,200 | 621 | untouched |
| 2 | Baristas | 16.1% | 7.5% | $31,200 | 686 | untouched |
| 3 | Registered Nurses | 20.4% | 27.9% | $97,550 | 585 | untouched |
| 4 | Acute Care Nurses | 17.4% | 27.4% | $97,550 | 655 | untouched |
| 5 | Critical Care Nurses | 15.0% | 23.6% | $97,550 | 709 | untouched |
| 6 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 16.4% | 7.0% | $40,240 | 672 | untouched |
| 7 | Recycling and Reclamation Workers | 8.7% | 4.2% | $40,240 | 820 | untouched |
| 8 | Stockers and Order Fillers | 23.4% | 9.4% | $37,330 | 518 | untouched |
| 9 | Waiters and Waitresses | 23.2% | 9.1% | $35,230 | 522 | untouched |
| 10 | Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 9.5% | 4.7% | $36,840 | 804 | untouched |
| 11 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 25.1% | 13.5% | $58,640 | 491 | untouched |
| 12 | Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 15.7% | 8.0% | $49,590 | 694 | untouched |
| 13 | Nursing Assistants | 11.9% | 11.3% | $42,260 | 759 | untouched |
| 14 | Cooks, Restaurant | 12.0% | 6.6% | $37,390 | 754 | untouched |
| 15 | Security Guards | 22.4% | 15.8% | $38,020 | 539 | untouched |
| 16 | Construction Laborers | 5.1% | 3.4% | $47,120 | 871 | untouched |
| 17 | Light Truck Drivers | 35.9% | 13.8% | $44,860 | 348 | untouched |
| 18 | Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | 7.6% | 4.1% | $39,150 | 836 | untouched |
| 19 | Food Preparation Workers | 6.7% | 3.8% | $35,320 | 853 | untouched |
| 20 | Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 5.4% | 3.3% | $35,510 | 869 | untouched |
| 21 | Medical Assistants | 20.3% | 16.4% | $45,690 | 587 | untouched |
| 22 | First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 16.2% | 13.8% | $79,920 | 683 | untouched |
| 23 | Solar Energy Installation Managers | 27.3% | 20.5% | $79,920 | 466 | untouched |
| 24 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 4.1% | 3.1% | $46,420 | 888 | untouched |
| 25 | Electricians | 11.3% | 10.3% | $63,190 | 772 | untouched |
| 26 | Bartenders | 22.3% | 11.2% | $34,340 | 540 | untouched |
| 27 | Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | 10.0% | 7.1% | $50,620 | 796 | untouched |
| 28 | Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | 12.4% | 15.5% | $76,210 | 744 | untouched |
| 29 | Carpenters | 9.3% | 6.3% | $60,580 | 808 | untouched |
| 30 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 18.3% | 20.0% | $64,400 | 634 | untouched |
| 31 | Cooks, Fast Food | 6.6% | 2.8% | $30,890 | 856 | untouched |
| 32 | Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 20.9% | 12.0% | $48,570 | 575 | untouched |
| 33 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | 8.1% | 2.9% | $36,280 | 828 | untouched |
| 34 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 6.6% | 2.1% | $33,980 | 858 | untouched |
| 35 | Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | 16.3% | 13.5% | $41,670 | 677 | untouched |
| 36 | Childcare Workers | 16.2% | 13.9% | $34,980 | 679 | untouched |
| 37 | Nannies | 15.6% | 15.3% | $34,980 | 695 | untouched |
| 38 | Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 24.0% | 15.4% | $38,140 | 508 | untouched |
| 39 | Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 7.4% | 6.0% | $59,850 | 841 | untouched |
| 40 | Dishwashers | 0.0% | 0.0% | $34,810 | 923 | untouched |
How to read this
Exposed is the share of an occupation’s weighted task load that a generally available AI system can produce today with little structural friction. Assisted is work it can produce but cannot finish alone, because somebody has to be present, accountable, or because checking the output costs as much as doing the work. Untouched is work it cannot produce at all.
Every figure here is computed from task level ratings, and every occupation links to the page that shows its own tasks. If a rating looks wrong, the task is the level to argue at: how this is measured.
Questions about this list
What tops the list?
Fast Food and Counter Workers, with 18.9% of its weighted task load exposed to current AI systems, 7.2% assisted and 73.9% untouched. Release v2026.Q3.
How is this list decided?
Occupations in the untouched band, ranked by US employment, largest first. Scores come from rating every standardised work activity in each occupation against a published rubric, not from rating the occupation as a whole.
Does a high score mean the job disappears?
No. Exposure is not displacement. This measures what current systems can produce and what structurally stands in the way, not what an employer will do about it.
Other cuts of the same data
Exposure is not displacement. This index measures what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. It does not forecast job losses, and it models no adoption, employment or wage effect.