Occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) are among the fields deemed the “safest” career choices, according to a new study by Yijin Hardware, a Chinese CNC manufacturing firm.
Health-care professions nabbed the top five positions in the results. Registered nurse (RN) had the highest score of all, followed by surgeon and dentist. Physical therapist ranked fourth, and occupational therapist finished fifth.
Physical therapy’s “AI Automation Risk” score — defined as the career’s vulnerability to AI automation — was 12%. Occupational therapy’s AI Automation Risk score was 10%. PT also had a slightly higher 2023-2033 job outlook score of 14% projected growth, versus OT’s job outlook score of 11% growth. Both OT and PT outscored surgeon (4%) and dentist (5%) in projected growth, while RN had a projected growth score of 40%.
The top scores after OT were lawyer, logistician, social worker, architect, and teacher.
“While no profession is completely future proof, our findings show that careers centered around human care, creativity and complex decision-making are among the safest bets right now,” said Yijin Hardware CEO and Project Manager Gavin Yi. “In an environment where automation and AI are reshaping industries rapidly, roles that require emotional intelligence, hands-on skills, and critical thinking are proving remarkably resilient.”
Yijin Hardware has offices in Shenzhen, China, and Homestead, Florida.
