Around every corner these days seems to come someone warning about the coming age of artificial intelligence, robots, and automation. The script is familiar: machines are becoming intelligent, and human employees had better break out in a sweat.
True, some sectors already feel they are in for a rough time. Some cashiers have been superseded by self-check machines, junior clerks’ accounting work is now taken care of by software, and autonomous cars are getting road-tested in large cities.
But not all positions can be outsourced to a machine. Some occupations require human presence, judgment, and creativity that cannot be replicated by technology. Other occupations, rather than declining at any given time period, will continue to grow in the years to come.
If you’re worried about securing your own safety on the job or wish to change careers, look below at the top 12 careers that will enjoy a high survivability through at least the decade of 2040.
1. Nurses
If anything’s going to never get outsourced or automated, it’s nursing. There’s so much more to nurses than care or medication. They provide empathy, comfort measures, and hands-on care. That one-on-one touch cannot be replicated.
The BLS projects healthcare jobs will grow by 13% by 2033, significantly higher than the average. Nurse practitioner jobs, nurse anesthetist careers, and nurse midwife positions are especially in demand, projected by a massive 40% over most occupations.
It’s not lightweight work by any means. There are long hours, stress associated with emotional situations, and in most locations, nurse shortages. But the reward is job security through stability and worth.
For candidates willing to invest the years in education and preparation, this is one career that isn’t going anywhere.
2. Electricians
For all the technological breakthroughs of recent decades, if the lights dim or if a breaker trips, most individuals call for the phone rather than a robot.
Electricians are as indispensable to contemporary living as they have ever been, dealing with installation, maintenance, and repair of power systems, communications, and lighting.
Career opportunities in this sector will increase by 11% by 2033, faster than all other careers. As long as we’re reliant on electricity (which isn’t going away any time soon), we’re going to require skilled electricians to make sure the wires hum along.
3. Plumbers
Few household problems are more immediate or more revolting than a clogged drain or broken pipe. And although computers write sonnets, it’s unlikely you will ever discover a robot elbow-deep in your sink at any point in the near future.
Demand will increase by 6% by 2033. That’s not very glamorous, relative to contracting industries, but that’s a robust forecast.
Apart from homeowner maintenance work, plumbers deal with sophisticated systems in larger commercial enterprises, hospitals, and industrial plants, invaluable infrastructure that grinds to a halt without them.
4. Marketing Managers
Think about cheerful billboard commercials, popular social media campaigns, and intelligent ads that get stuck in your memory years after. They all have behind them a marketing manager who is calling the shots.
The need for skilled marketers will not diminish. BLS estimates growth through 2033 at 8%, faster than average. Computer programs may chug out ads or count clicks, but creativity and planning are human capacities.
5. Construction Managers
Skyscrapers, highways, schools, and homes don’t build themselves. And although machines will do it partly, someone’s got to design it all, fund it all, and oversee it from start to finish.
With projected growth through 2033 at about 9%, these careers will never lose steam. There’s more to it than hammer-wielding: it’s leadership, coordination, and keeping behemoth projects going (and presumably on budget).
With an increasing population and cities getting larger by the day, construction managers will never have idle hands.
6. Mental Health Counselors
Mental health understanding has grown exponentially in the past decade. With depression and stress to family dynamics and drug addictions, professional intervention is employed by more and more individuals.
Mental health counselor demand will increase by 19% by 2033, nearly double the average growth rate, as projected by the BLS. That will create tens of thousands of new positions nationwide.
This is one field where human contact makes it successful. They might supplement technology with apps or chatbots, but individuals feel best speaking with other human beings who understand.
7. Data Scientists
If data is oil, then data scientists are drillers. They take in data, process it to mine out patterns, and give it meaning that fuels everything from advertising campaigns to product design.
The sector is booming, with employment growth projected to touch 36% by 2033. Almost all industries, healthcare, finance, retailing, and even sports, depend on data science to make informed choices.
Interpreting big numbers and converting them into practical strategies is something that will command a top salary from companies.
8. Personal Financial Advisors
With money not quite buying happiness, but prudent money management coming awfully close, personal financial advisors nudge individuals in appropriate directions about investments, retirement issues, insurance coverage, and budgeting.
With lifespans increasing, more Americans are looking for professional guidance on how to make their money stretch.
17% job growth through 2033 and median pay close to six-figures. Apps will provide rudimentary investing guidance, but personal financial planning is highly personal. Advisory specialists establishing trust and long-term relationships will stay highly sought after.
9. Truck drivers
In spite of autonomous vehicle models, America continues to rely on truckers. Heavy trucks and tractor-trailers transport goods throughout America, maintaining supply channels.
Truck driving employment expansion is predicted at 5% through 2033, steady enough to promote perceptions of stability. The job requires some sacrifices in terms of lengthy work hours and away-from-home time, but freedom and a regular paycheck for most compensate.
As long as fully autonomous trucks arrive on highways by the masses (still decades away), human drivers cannot be replaced.
10. Lawyers
From contentious divorces to property sales to criminal defense, the legal system isn’t going out of business. Lawyers aren’t only educated on how to plead cases but how to interpret complex laws and negotiate on behalf of parties.
Lawyer jobs will increase by 5% by 2033. As much as computers will assist in preparing documents or in studying previous court precedents, customers would prefer to have a human lawyer to represent them in court or at the negotiating table.
11. Computer Support Specialists
Every office professional appreciates how important the IT staff is. When the server goes down or one’s laptop refuses to behave, computer support gurus come to the rescue.
With IT embedded in nearly every aspect of today’s work, this occupation will grow by 6% by 2033. Network administrators set up networks, troubleshoot problems, and provide essential IT support, all tasks needing technological skill and forbearance to serve annoyed users.
12. Software Developers
They write programs, apps, and systems that drive our connected lives. Developers create everything from video games to health software to financial tools. They’re ubiquitous.
By 2033, employment will have risen by a massive 17%, or close to 328,000 per year. Though code-composition is achievable by the use of artificial intelligence tools, humans will have to conceptualize designs, refine them, and innovate.
Final Reflections
The jobs of the future will definitely not be like ours, but they will not necessarily be terrible. Though industries will get smaller along the way, these 12 jobs demonstrate how many jobs will stick around.
Some depend on kindness, some on imagination, and many on skills that computers will never replicate.
For anyone worried about work security, the message is simple and straightforward: choose something that’s strong, adaptable, and, foremost, human in character. Robotic takeover or not, there’s more than enough room for us in the future.
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