Career Explorer Farming, fishing, forestry
Human edge, growing
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, forestry, aquacultural, and related workers.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 83% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +3.8% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $59,320
- Job growth to 2035
- +3.8%
- Openings a year
- 7,200
- People doing it (2025)
- 57,600
- Usual route in
- High school diploma
Where people already use AI for this work
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Train others on operational or work procedures
- Manage agricultural or forestry operations
- Monitor health conditions of humans or animals
What the work looks like
- Assign tasks such as feeding and treatment of animals, and cleaning and maintenance of animal quarters.
- Record the numbers and types of fish or shellfish reared, harvested, released, sold, and shipped.
- Monitor workers to ensure that safety regulations are followed, warning or disciplining those who violate safety regulations.
- Observe animals for signs of illness, injury, or unusual behavior, notifying veterinarians or managers as warranted.
- Observe fish and beds or ponds to detect diseases, monitor fish growth, determine quality of fish, or determine completeness of harvesting.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Derrick operators, oil and gasHuman edge, steady, Index 87, +1.6%
- Motorboat operatorsHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +4.9%
- Highway maintenance workersHuman edge, steady, Index 84, +3.4%
- Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfittersHuman edge, growing, Index 91, +6.8%
Also known as: Farm Supervisor, Harvesting Supervisor, Hatchery Manager, Logging Supervisor, Animal Research Facility Supervisor, Cattle Manager, Fish Hatchery Manager, Logging Crew Foreman.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.