Seven professions set to withstand the AI era
As artificial intelligence reshapes the labor market and cuts demand for routine tasks, several fields, from AI engineering to healthcare, keep growing rapidly in both demand and pay.
The job market is changing faster than education systems can adapt, writes Andrejs Cinis. What seemed a niche skill just two years ago, prompt engineering, has become mainstream, with AI now writing a significant share of code at the world's largest tech companies. The World Economic Forum notes that technology has historically created more jobs than it destroyed, but by 2030 nearly 40% of workers will need to update their core skills.
Fields with growing demand
Among the most promising careers is AI engineering, where US salaries can exceed $240,000 a year, along with organizational psychology and cybersecurity, fields where AI supports rather than replaces human decisions. Data science, green energy engineering, robotics and drone technology, and healthcare also show strong growth potential, since these areas require complex analysis, accountability, and human judgment that algorithms still cannot fully replicate.
Professions under pressure
Meanwhile, routine-based jobs are hit hardest, since the start of the year around 120,000 jobs have disappeared in the tech sector alone, mostly entry-level roles in programming, software testing, and customer support. A Stanford University study found youth employment in these fields has dropped by more than 10% since late 2022, while experienced professionals continue to gain value.
The author concludes that the most valuable skill going forward will be the ability to keep learning and adapting, since the list of in-demand professions could look very different just five years from now.
