← All 785 jobsFile 21-1023
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 10.3% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #325 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +10.3% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $60,280 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 138,900 in the US, with about 12,500 openings a year
The work, 15 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: Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Counsel others about personal matters14%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,845 conversations, and it got them there 87% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor health conditions of humans or animals8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain health or medical records8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect information about patients or clients7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Interview people to obtain information7%
People try AI for this, but it seldom finishes the work in full.
Still yours: Develop patient or client care or treatment plans7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assist individuals with special needs6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Teach academic or vocational subjects6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 70 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
AI does this: Research historical or social issues5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 360 Copilot conversations and completed it 88% of the time.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Assist others to access additional services or resources4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 31 Copilot conversations and completed it 88% of the time.
Still yours: Develop public or community health programs3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Advise others on educational or vocational matters2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 293 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 110 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 12,500 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 44% of the workRecreational Therapists8% AI does, against 22% here+4.8% by 2035 · $61,960 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 37% of the workOccupational Therapy Assistants5% AI does, against 22% here+21.5% by 2035 · $72,300 · Associate’s degree
- Shares 36% of the workAnesthesiologists10% AI does, against 22% here+3.6% by 2035 · $391,490 · Doctoral or professional degree
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 0.15, higher than 51% 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, 21-1023 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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