Orderlies

Low pay & highrisk
High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

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Why it fits

Applies patient assistance, mobility support, basic care, safety observation, and communication with caregivers.

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Why it fits

Reuses mobility support, personal assistance, safety awareness, equipment handling, and patient communication.

Psychiatric Aides
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Why it fits

Applies patient observation, safe transport, de-escalation, unit routines, and basic care support.

Nursing Assistants
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Why it fits

Directly reuses patient transport, bedside assistance, safety, supplies, infection control, and care-team communication.

Medical Assistants
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Why it fits

Builds on patient flow, exam-room support, supplies, basic clinical communication, and documentation.

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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
3.3/10
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

64% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

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

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.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 11 votes

What do you think the risk of automation is?

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

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Orderlies was $37,700 ($18 per hour).

The median annual wage for Orderlies was 23.8% 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

Moderate growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Orderlies' job openings is expected to rise 3.3% 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

Moderate range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 53,020 people employed as 'Orderlies' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 2 thousand people are employed as 'Orderlies'.

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What people are saying (1)

Anirban Bhattacharjee (Low)
30 Oct 2021 05:48
Care must have an human effect. This job requires situational checks and balances and control measures, where, I believe humans still are far superior. The future may hold a better place for automation, but it will never be zero.
Leave a reply about this occupation
0/8000

Job description

Transport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. May maintain stocks of supplies or clean and transport equipment. Psychiatric orderlies are included in Psychiatric Aides.

O*NET-SOC code: 31-1132.00