---
title: "Will AI Replace Farmworkers and Laborers? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates farmworkers and laborers' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (-2.4%…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-farmworkers-and-laborers"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Farmworkers and Laborers? (2026)

**Short answer:** Very unlikely. BLS rates farmworkers and laborers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places farmworkers and laborers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 2.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 72,500 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 63/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | -2.4% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 72,500 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $35,660 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low (this job) | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Performing general physical activities: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Working outdoors in all weather: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Handling and moving objects: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Repetitive motions: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Getting information: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops.
- Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
- Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
- Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.

## Related careers that are also low-exposure

- [Tree Trimmer and Pruner](https://nuecareer.com/careers/tree-trimmer-and-pruner): BLS exposure Low, median $50,960
- [Agricultural Equipment Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/agricultural-equipment-operator): BLS exposure Low, median $41,730
- [Faller](https://nuecareer.com/careers/faller): BLS exposure Low, median $52,100
- [Logging Equipment Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/logging-equipment-operator): BLS exposure Low, median $49,740

## FAQ

**Will AI replace farmworkers and laborers?**

Very unlikely. BLS rates farmworkers and laborers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to fall by 2.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 72,500 openings a year.

**How exposed are farmworkers and laborers to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Farmworkers and Laborers are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

**What parts of a farmworker and laborer, crop, nursery, and greenhouse's job can AI do?**

In O\*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repetitive motions, getting information and communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, performing general physical activities and working outdoors in all weather. These come from O\*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

**Is being a farmworker and laborer, crop, nursery, and greenhouse a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, farmworkers and laborers score 63 out of 100, higher than 90% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $35,660 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

**What careers similar to farmworkers and laborers are less exposed to AI?**

Tree Trimmer and Pruner (low exposure, $50,960 median), Agricultural Equipment Operator (low exposure, $41,730 median), Faller (low exposure, $52,100 median), Logging Equipment Operator (low exposure, $49,740 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/farmworker-and-laborer-crop-nursery-and-greenhouse.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology