Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace IT Managers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places IT managers in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +15.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 53,500 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 24/100Higher than 14% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +15.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 53,500BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed IT managers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. IT Managers land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Developing and building teams4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Coaching and developing others3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Working with computers4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Processing information3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Time spent sitting4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Analyzing data or information4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for IT managers
- Stay abreast of advances in technology.
- Direct daily operations of department, analyzing workflow, establishing priorities, developing standards and setting deadlines.
- Review project plans to plan and coordinate project activity.
- Recruit, hire, train and supervise staff, or participate in staffing decisions.
- Evaluate the organization's technology use and needs and recommend improvements, such as hardware and software upgrades.
- Prepare and review operational reports or project progress reports.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +15.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 53,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 670,570 people work in the job today, at a median of $175,140 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full IT manager profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than IT managers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Sales Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $148,270median a year
- Growth
- +4.5%
- Openings / yr
- 47,300
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 41/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.
Human Resources Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $149,280median a year
- Growth
- +5.5%
- Openings / yr
- 16,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 35/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.
Natural Sciences Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $167,220median a year
- Growth
- +8.2%
- Openings / yr
- 9,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 35/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
Architectural and Engineering Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $171,270median a year
- Growth
- +5.5%
- Openings / yr
- 14,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 34/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
Compliance Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $141,900median a year
- Growth
- +4.9%
- Openings / yr
- 100,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 32/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.
Questions
Will AI Replace IT Managers? FAQ
Will AI replace IT managers?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average. 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 change by +15.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 53,500 openings a year.
How exposed are IT managers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. IT Managers are in the very high category, alongside 198 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 an IT manager's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are working with computers, processing information and time spent sitting. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, developing and building teams and establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being an IT manager a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, IT managers score 24 out of 100, higher than 14% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $175,140 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 IT managers are less exposed to AI?
Sales Manager (high exposure, $148,270 median), Human Resources Manager (high exposure, $149,280 median), Natural Sciences Manager (high exposure, $167,220 median), Architectural and Engineering Manager (high exposure, $171,270 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than IT managers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.