Childcare Workers

Low pay & lowrisk
Minimal Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

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Why it fits

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Special Education Teachers, Preschool
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Why it fits

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Why it fits

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Why it fits

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Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
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Why it fits

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
4.8/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

18% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): This occupation appears difficult to replace end-to-end with current or near-future automation, including AI software and robotics. Roles in this range usually depend on human judgement, creativity, care, leadership, specialist expertise, or adapting to messy real-world situations. AI and machines may still change parts of the work, but the occupation is likely to remain a distinct human role.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Assisting and caring for others

Very important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
Jobs that also use this strength

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Social perceptiveness

Quite important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
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Active learning

Quite important
Why this matters
Keeps learning from new information and applying it to make better decisions now and in the future, especially when situations change.
Jobs that also use this strength
Show 1 more strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
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What users think

Based on 127 votes

18.7% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a minimal chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 18% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Childcare Workers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Childcare Workers was $32,050 ($15 per hour).

The median annual wage for Childcare Workers was 35.3% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Childcare Workers' job openings is expected to decline 2.9% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 520,180 people employed as 'Childcare Workers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.34% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 296 people are employed as 'Childcare Workers'.

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What people are saying (8)

Leave a comment
Schoolbus Monitor
15 Apr 2025 02:24
Children look for human companionship. Not only from parents, but also from friends as well as the adults who work with them. They remember those who have given the best impact the longest. Some will remember their caregivers for the rest of their lives, with some who will even form life long relationships. No robot can offer this level of connection for another human being.
lay
07 Nov 2025 00:26
That’s a good point, and I completely agree. Human connection is something deeply emotional and intuitive, it’s built on empathy, shared experiences, and genuine care. While robots and AI can simulate helpfulness or companionship, they can’t truly understand or reciprocate human feelings. Children, especially, need authentic relationships to develop trust, emotional intelligence, and a sense of belonging. Technology can support caregivers, but it can’t replace the warmth and bond that come from real human interaction.
sal (No chance)
02 May 2024 14:46
no sane person is trusting their child with a machine 😭
Melanie Lowrance (No chance)
21 Mar 2024 15:02
Children need a human touch physical care emotional care comforting .Noone wants a baby taken care of by a robot changing diapers no that's not good .
Belinda (No chance)
31 Jul 2023 21:14
Ai malfunctions and your child dies. Very high risk!
RECE Canada (Low)
07 Jun 2023 05:13
If society decides robots should be demonstrating to young children what it is to be human, and teaching we are completely doomed. Revamp the structures in place and pay RECE's a living wage. Start at $25 an hr. You cannot replicate human connection, and playing with an infant's mind, having a robot interact with them for 6-8 hrs a day in daycare is a HORRIFYING thought.
amber
31 Jul 2021 22:41
for childcare, you need empathy for children, robots don't have it.
eth (Highly likely)
26 Jul 2020 11:48
Have you read the science fictions of Isaac Asimov? Everything is possible.
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Job description

Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.

O*NET-SOC code: 39-9011.00