The world is buzzing with AI advancements, but there are careers that not only weather the storm but flourish, bringing in hefty paychecks, and those would be positions that require subjective reasoning, and manual labour is considered the least susceptible to automation.
Artificial Intelligence may be taking over your job. The software has spread quickly throughout the industry, and previously well-paid employees are already witnessing declining pay and job opportunities.
However, the emergence of AI has also given rise to hitherto unimagined job categories. The number of job postings referencing AI on LinkedIn has more than doubled in Britain over the past two years, while the number of “head of AI” positions has tripled globally in the last five years.
According to a PwC report, nearly half of British workers believe AI will impact their careers in some way in the next five years, and nearly a third of British company leaders expect the software to lead to new roles. BT declared earlier this year that it would replace a quarter of its workforce with AI and eliminate 55,000 jobs.
According to investment firm Goldman Sachs, in the next several years, artificial intelligence could supplant 300 million full-time employees worldwide.
In the not-too-distant future, robots may answer customer service phones, and software may replace the work of teachers, writers, graphic designers, and computer programmers, at least in part. Some businesses have combined AI with holographic technology to replace in-person customer assistance with virtual representations of themselves.
What does Elon Musk have to say?
Elon Musk said to Rishi Sunak at a gathering last year that artificial intelligence may eventually completely replace the necessity for employment. AI will be “the most disruptive force in the industry for jobs,” according to the owner of X, formerly Twitter, who informed the prime minister that “there will come a point where no job is needed—you can have a job if you want to for personal satisfaction.”
Along with cautioning governments and business leaders “not to be alarmist” about AI’s explosive growth, Mr. Sunak also denied that the technology will eliminate jobs. He remarked, “I know this is a worry people have.” “Rather than considering AI as a job replacement, we should view it more as a co-pilot.”
Trade unions, however, are concerned. The government’s attempts to regulate AI, according to Andrew Pakes, Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, which has over 150,000 members, are being overtaken by the technology’s rapid advancement. “AI presents opportunities for better work, but it also poses a threat to employment and may intensify biases in hiring and disciplinary procedures,” he stated.
So, what careers are safest from AI?
While some formerly prosperous professions are already facing the swift invasion of intelligent software, other professions might be protected.
Adzuna’s data analysts used research from Goldmann Sachs, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to identify several job roles where pay had held steady despite the introduction of AI. They then ranked these roles based on how high their advertised salaries were in December 2023.
Medical experts
Salary advertisements on Adzuna indicate that among the highest-paid positions best shielded from the advancement of technology are those of specialized medical experts.
In December, the average annual salary for orthodontists was £113,576; this is a 10.4% increase from £102,842 in the previous year. Advertised pay for surgeons, paediatricians, oncologists, and midwives ranged from £55,000 to £100,000, and they were also highly ranked.
On the other hand, some roles’ average salary has decreased annually. According to Adzuna, the average salary for oncologists in open positions had decreased by 8.4%, from £219,755 to £201,243. In the meantime, midwives’ income decreased by 10.8%, from £58,864 to £52,490. Over the summer, as hospitals scrambled to fill the voids left by midwives leaving during the outbreak, advertised pay had soared.
Politicians and judges
Politicians and judges, among other professions requiring judgment, were also thought to be secure from the AI revolution. MPs receive £86,584 annually, and although job openings for judges are not posted on employment sites, they can anticipate receiving salaries much over £100,000 in total. In December, Adzuna had 546 openings for chief executive jobs; the average salary had increased from £78,916 to £90,868 (a 15.1% annual increase).
Lifestyle handlers
The employment website stated elsewhere that society will find it difficult to accept AI doing roles involving “human stories or motivation,” such as influencers, therapists, or life coaches. In all three instances, pay increased somewhat, and there were 63 posted positions for the latter, up from just five.
Manual labour
It should come as no surprise that physical labour was considered secure from automation. The majority of the jobs on the list were blue-collar occupations including plumbers (£39,039), mechanics (£42,862), oil riggers, and pipelayers (average income £44,448). Carpenters, crane operators, and roofers all scored highly.
Even if businesses using AI futures anticipate replacing large portions of their staff, the software’s existence is predicted to create employment dedicated to overseeing its application.
AI job market enthusiasts
According to Adzuna’s June report, prompt engineers, AI ethics officers, and AI auditors should become commonplace job titles soon.
Many of these positions had already begun to appear on employment boards by December. The stated salaries for these positions, which included “machine manager,” “AI trainer,” and “prompt engineer,” were £192,000.
The AI employment market is expanding in the United States. According to a survey published in the marketing newspaper Biz Report, positions related to AI offered salaries that were 77% higher than those of other occupations, and AI had caused a 36% widening of the pay gap between tech jobs and other occupations. The survey discovered that by the end of 2023, AI-related jobs accounted for nearly one-third of all tech jobs.
Workers are already bracing themselves for a future in which artificial intelligence will work alongside them. Over the past three months, LinkedIn members have viewed 80% more AI-related learning courses, and since January 2023, the number of people adding generative AI talents to their profiles has increased by 60%. Examples of these abilities include ChatGPT and prompt crafting.
(Tashia Bernardus)