There is an apprehension about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) amid the perception that the technology is a threat to human jobs, but a new research has revealed that AI is not just about machines replacing human workers.
On the contrary, some occupations exposed to AI are among those projected to record significant employment growth over the next decade.
A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) analysis of its 2025–2035 employment projections identifies a group of occupations with very high relative AI exposure that nevertheless have positive employment projections.
These highlighted occupations require a bachelor’s degree and no prior experience in a related occupation. It is important to note that BLS does not say these jobs will grow “because of AI.”
Rather, the analysis places AI exposure alongside employment projections. BLS explains that high or very high AI exposure means that a relatively large share of tasks in the occupation can potentially be assisted or completed by AI.
The core of BLS’s analysis is that even within jobs that AI is heavily reshaping, the outcome isn’t uniform. Some roles are still expected to grow because AI seems to be creating more demand for that work rather than replacing it, while others are projected to shrink. Here are the winners;
Data Scientists Sit at the Top
At the head of the growth group are data scientists, with employment projected to rise by about 35% between 2025 and 2035. This result is particularly revealing because data scientists work directly with the technologies driving the AI economy. Their work includes using data to build models, identify patterns, and support decision-making.
BLS separately projects data scientists to be among the fastest-growing occupations overall, with the latest 2025–2035 projections putting their employment growth at 34.6%. The agency says demand for workers who develop, improve and leverage AI and other digital technologies is helping drive growth in this area.
Next are logisticians, at roughly 17%, reflecting continued demand for professionals who manage increasingly complex supply chains, inventories, transportation and distribution systems.
Industrial engineers follow at approximately 12%, while operations research analysts are projected to grow by roughly 12%.
These occupations demonstrate why AI exposure should not automatically be interpreted as a threat. AI can become another tool used by professionals whose broader responsibilities continue to require human judgment, organisational knowledge and decision-making.
Engineers Remain Firmly in the Growth Column
The chart also places several engineering occupations on the positive side. Mechanical engineers are projected to grow by about 11%, while software developers are expected to expand by approximately 10%.
The software developer figure is particularly significant in the age of generative AI. Coding assistants can increasingly generate, explain, and debug code, yet the BLS projection still places software development on the growth side of the chart.
Also recording projected growth are:
Financial examiners — about 9%
Actuaries — about 9%
Computer hardware engineers — about 9%
Aerospace engineers — about 8%
Taken together, the 10 occupations on the growth side show that AI exposure and employment growth can coexist. The underlying issue is what happens to the tasks within an occupation, rather than simply whether AI can perform some of them.
BLS defines “very high” AI exposure as a relative category in which a larger share of an occupation’s tasks can be completed or assisted by AI, with large language models already observed performing some of those tasks. It does not mean that AI will eliminate the occupation.
What this Means for Workers & Students
For students and young professionals deciding what to study, the lesson is more complicated than simply avoiding occupations exposed to AI. A profession can be heavily exposed to AI while demand for people in that profession continues to increase.
The core question should be “Will AI complement the worker’s wider responsibilities, or can it replace a large portion of the occupation’s core tasks?”
This distinction could become increasingly important as companies integrate AI into everyday workflows.
