Occupational Therapists

Top scored Future-proof High pay & lowrisk Lowest risk Trending
Minimal Risk
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Explore safer careers (1)

Lower estimated automation risk

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Why it fits

Uses therapeutic activity design, functional goals, patient motivation, documentation, safety, and rehabilitation team communication.

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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
8.9/10
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

10% (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.

Thinking creatively

Very 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

Therapy and counseling expertise

Very important
Why this matters
Uses clinical and counseling methods to assess people’s needs, build trust, and guide treatment or rehabilitation—work that depends on empathy, nuanced judgment, and adapting to each person’s situation.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Very 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.
Jobs that also use this strength

Instructing

Very important
Why this matters
Teaching or coaching others—explaining steps, giving feedback, and adapting to different learners so they can do the work safely and correctly.
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Developing objectives and strategies

Very important
Why this matters
Sets long-term goals and chooses strategies and actions to reach them, weighing tradeoffs and adapting plans as conditions change.
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Show 6 more strengths

Psychology knowledge

Very important
Why this matters
Understanding human behavior, motivation, and individual differences to assess needs, respond appropriately, and support behavior change or mental health.
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Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
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Persuasion

Quite important
Why this matters
Influencing people to change their minds or behavior through conversation, trust, and negotiation.
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Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
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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.
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Operations analysis

Quite important
Why this matters
Figure out what people need and what a product must do, then translate those requirements into a workable design.
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What users think

Based on 338 votes

19.7% 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 10% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Occupational Therapists 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 high paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Occupational Therapists was $98,340 ($47 per hour).

The median annual wage for Occupational Therapists was 98.7% higher 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 fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Occupational Therapists' job openings is expected to rise 13.8% 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

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 152,280 people employed as 'Occupational Therapists' within the United States.

This represents around 0.10% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Occupational Therapists'.

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What people are saying (9)

Leave a comment
Aria (Low)
03 Jul 2024 23:00
I voted low because robots dont feel human feelings and right now they do not understand mental or physical disorders
Benny (No chance)
07 Jul 2024 17:21
The job requires sensitive emotional responses face-to-face, which robots cannot replicate. With complex person-to-person support and guidance, every patient is so unique that robots don't have the emotional experience.
Fashion Super Model
19 Nov 2019 02:13
Robots need human emotions, and if they cant relate to ones emotion, they will not be up to standards when getting help. Its as if your talking to a wall.
David Kohen (No chance)
17 Apr 2019 13:15
Too dependent on human interaction especially of the notice-what-the-patient-is-not-saying variety. Demand will also increase with aging population. Probably the very last to go.
nobody nose (No chance)
21 Sep 2024 08:12
Social complexity is something A.I does struggle with, even more the persuasion and highly complex problem solving needed would not be matched even at the maximum growth rate of A.I
Alice (Moderate)
06 Aug 2025 06:43
I'm 18. A whole lot of people my age are using AI for therapy.
huh??
19 Aug 2025 04:16
girl this is a whole other job
A Mogus (Moderate)
19 Apr 2024 22:04
Some of those AI chatbots have been getting awfully good
mike hawk
21 Sep 2024 08:13
hmm...now tell me. occupational therapy isnt about chatting, really think. theres also complex movement.
Leave a reply about this occupation
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Job description

Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.

O*NET-SOC code: 29-1122.00