← All 785 jobsFile 39-5011
Barbers
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 3.3% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #462 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +3.3% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $38,210 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 75,800 in the US, with about 6,900 openings a year
The work, 16 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Groom or style hair21%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas19%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Set up protective structures or coverings near work areas10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications9%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 502 conversations, and it got them there 54% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain sales or financial records6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Apply hygienic or cosmetic agents to skin or hair5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Perform administrative or clerical activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 401 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Perform human resources activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Advise patients or clients on medical issues4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 746 Copilot conversations and completed it 96% of the time.
AI helps with this: Purchase goods or services3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 214 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Sell products or services2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Promote products, services, or programs2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 715 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Maintain operational records2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Administer therapeutic treatments1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 103 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 6,900 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 28% of the workHelpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons0% AI does, against 12% here+1.5% by 2035 · $40,470 · No formal credential
- Shares 26% of the workPlasterers and Stucco Masons0% AI does, against 12% here+2.8% by 2035 · $57,660 · No formal credential
- Shares 26% of the workSkincare Specialists6% AI does, against 12% here+8.8% by 2035 · $45,330 · Postsecondary certificate
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Love front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.09, higher than 32% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 39-5011 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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