While fears of artificial intelligence and robotics displacing human workers are widespread, a recent study indicates that many frontline, hands-on jobs are currently too expensive to automate. Employers would need to spend several times more to replace human workers in roles such as nursing, home care, and construction than they currently pay in wages.
The June 2026 Planera study, cited by Mint, analyzed common occupations in the US. It leveraged government wage data and real-world pricing from automation vendors to estimate the annual cost of automating a single position with AI and robotics, contrasting it with human salaries.
Hands-On Professions Remain Costly to Automate
Nursing assistants emerged as the most expensive workers to replace. Automating one nursing assistant position could cost an estimated $375,100 annually, a stark contrast to the median human wage of $42,200 for the same role. This makes automation nearly nine times more expensive than employing a person.
"Hands-on patient care requires humanoid robotics that don't yet exist as commercial products," the study noted, explaining the high cost.
Other top professions where automation is significantly more expensive include:
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides: Replacing one worker would cost approximately $282,200 annually, nearly eight times the median wage of $35,800.
- Construction Laborers: Automating this role could cost around $285,300 per year, compared to a median annual wage of $47,100.
- General Maintenance and Repair Workers: Automation expenses were estimated at $286,900 annually, versus a $49,500 median wage.
- Teaching Assistants: Replacing a teaching assistant would cost about $194,300 a year, over five times the median wage of $36,700.
The findings also identified several other occupations where machine replacement would cost at least twice as much as human wages, including registered nurses, elementary school teachers, security guards, assemblers and fabricators, and restaurant cooks.
Cashiers an Exception; White-Collar Roles More Exposed
Cashiers were the only major occupation where automation proved more economical than human labor. Self-checkout systems were found to cost around $24,220 annually, less than the median cashier wage of $32,880.
A Planera spokesperson highlighted how the study upends long-held assumptions. "Historically, low-paid, low-skill jobs were thought to be most vulnerable to automation," the spokesperson noted. "However, our data indicates the opposite: the lowest-earning workers often perform physically demanding, human-centric tasks that machines find most challenging."
Furthermore, the spokesperson pointed out that white-collar professions are now facing increased exposure. "Even software developers, once seen as immune, are experiencing this shift as major tech firms reduce engineering staff due to advancements in AI coding tools," the spokesperson added, suggesting greater disruption for these roles.