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Will AI Replace Production Worker Helpers? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places production worker helpers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 8.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 20,900 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates production worker helpers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
57/100Higher than 78% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
-8.2%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
20,900BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed production worker helpers 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. Production Worker Helpers land in the low category: among the occupations least 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

  1. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  • Performing general physical activities4.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions4.8/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Handling and moving objects4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Documenting/recording information3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repetitive motions4.1/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Being exact or highly accurate4.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for production worker helpers

  • Examine products to verify conformance to quality standards.
  • Lift raw materials, finished products, and packed items, manually or using hoists.
  • Count finished products to determine if product orders are complete.
  • Transfer finished products, raw materials, tools, or equipment between storage and work areas of plants and warehouses, by hand or using hand trucks or powered lift trucks.
  • Pack and store materials and products.
  • Load and unload items from machines, conveyors, and conveyances.

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 -8.2% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 20,900 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 165,700 people work in the job today, at a median of $39,070 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full helpers--production worker profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers that are also low-exposure

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.

  1. Helpers--Extraction Worker

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $47,730median a year
    Growth
    +1.7%
    Openings / yr
    700
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    74/100
    resilience

    Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill.

  2. Helpers--Carpenter

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $43,780median a year
    Growth
    −1.7%
    Openings / yr
    2,000
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    67/100
    resilience

    Help carpenters by performing duties requiring less skill.

  3. Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Worker

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $39,630median a year
    Growth
    +5.3%
    Openings / yr
    13,600
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    65/100
    resilience

    Help installation, maintenance, and repair workers in maintenance, parts replacement, and repair of vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic equipment.

  4. Helpers--Brickmason, Blockmason, Stonemason, and Tile and Marble Setter

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $47,550median a year
    Growth
    −11.7%
    Openings / yr
    1,100
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    65/100
    resilience

    Help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, or tile and marble setters by performing duties requiring less skill.

  5. Helpers--Painter, Paperhanger, Plasterer, and Stucco Mason

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $40,470median a year
    Growth
    +1.5%
    Openings / yr
    700
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    65/100
    resilience

    Help painters, paperhangers, plasterers, or stucco masons by performing duties requiring less skill.

Questions

Will AI Replace Production Worker Helpers? FAQ

Will AI replace production worker helpers?

Very unlikely. BLS rates production worker helpers 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 8.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 20,900 openings a year.

How exposed are production worker helpers to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Production Worker Helpers 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 helpers--production worker's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, repetitive motions and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, face-to-face discussions and handling and moving objects. 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 helpers--production worker a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, production worker helpers score 57 out of 100, higher than 78% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $39,070 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 production worker helpers are less exposed to AI?

Helpers--Extraction Worker (low exposure, $47,730 median), Helpers--Carpenter (low exposure, $43,780 median), Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Worker (low exposure, $39,630 median), Helpers--Brickmason, Blockmason, Stonemason, and Tile and Marble Setter (low exposure, $47,550 median). Each is also in the low category, 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.