Share and intensity of work current AI systems can materially affect.
SOC 29-2092
Hearing Aid Specialists AI displacement risk
Hearing aid specialists test hearing, fit devices, and counsel patients on communication. The disruption here is market structure more than AI: over-the-counter hearing aids with app-based self-fitting took the entry-level segment, pressuring the traditional dispensing model directly.
Likely potential for exposed tasks to move to software after workflow integration.
The honest pressure is OTC self-fitting for mild loss, which is exactly the high-volume segment. Complex fittings, earmold impressions, and counseling for severe loss stay professional — the role migrates upmarket rather than vanishing.
Distribution
Where Hearing Aid Specialists sits across 620 tracked roles
Displacement pressure 32 — higher than 52% of the 620 occupations tracked on displacement.ai.
Score version
This page uses Seed model v0.4 (seed-v0.4-2026-05), last reviewed 2026-08-15. Directional occupation-level planning model using hand-reviewed public research, task exposure estimates, wage context, and transition-pathway assumptions.
11 O*NET task statements matched to SOC 29-2092. The displayed task profile combines these official task statements with the current public score model.
Median wage context: $65,160 (May 2025, US national). The latest BLS row matched SOC 29-2092.
Scores are planning signals, not forecasts. Local hiring demand, employer-specific workflows, licensing, and credentials must be validated before making career decisions.
2030 economic stress test
How Anthropic's scenarios classify Hearing Aid Specialists
SOC 29-2092 places this role in the paper's cognitive occupation group. These group-level outcomes do not change the 32/100 role score and are not an occupation forecast.
+0.4% group wage
-0.5% cognitive employment since mid-2026; 2.9% cognitive unemployment.
Economy-wide: +1.6% GDP and 3.9% unemployment.
-0.3% group wage
-3.9% cognitive employment since mid-2026; 4.5% cognitive unemployment.
Economy-wide: +8.3% GDP and 4.6% unemployment.
-11.5% group wage
-21.5% cognitive employment since mid-2026; 17.9% cognitive unemployment.
Economy-wide: +32.4% GDP and 11.9% unemployment.
Compare the assumptions and limitations across all three scenarios. Source: The Anthropic Institute Working Paper No. 2026-02.
Official task evidence
O*NET task matches for Hearing Aid Specialists
The current evidence import matched 11 task statements from Task Statements 31.0 (August 2026). These rows are used as a grounding layer for judging which parts of the occupation are repeatable, language-heavy, analytical, social, physical, or compliance-sensitive.
Dataset31.0 (August 2026)
Matched tasks11
SOC29-2092
- Core task / ID 17441
Train clients to use hearing aids or other augmentative communication devices.
- Core task / ID 21189
Counsel patients and families on communication strategies and the effects of hearing loss.
- Core task / ID 17439
Select and administer tests to evaluate hearing or related disabilities.
- Core task / ID 17440
Administer basic hearing tests including air conduction, bone conduction, or speech audiometry tests.
- Core task / ID 17443
Maintain or repair hearing aids or other communication devices.
- Core task / ID 17446
Perform basic screening procedures, such as pure tone screening, otoacoustic screening, immittance screening, and screening of ear canal status using otoscope.
Source: O*NET Resource Center, Task Statements. Raw import target: data/raw/onet/task-statements-31-0.txt.
Task profile
Where AI changes the work
Administer basic hearing tests and screenings
Exposure 40, automation 20%, augmentation 54%.
O*NET evidence: Administer basic hearing tests including air conduction, bone conduction, or speech aud... (ID 17440)
Create or modify impressions for earmolds and shells
Exposure 26, automation 11%, augmentation 44%.
O*NET evidence: Create or modify impressions for earmolds and hearing aid shells. (ID 17442)
Train clients to use hearing aids
Exposure 26, automation 11%, augmentation 48%.
O*NET evidence: Train clients to use hearing aids or other augmentative communication devices. (ID 17441)
Counsel patients on communication strategies
Exposure 22, automation 8%, augmentation 46%.
O*NET evidence: Counsel patients and families on communication strategies and the effects of hearing loss. (ID 21189)
TaskExposureAutomationAugmentation
Administer basic hearing tests and screenings4020%54%
Create or modify impressions for earmolds and shells2611%44%
Train clients to use hearing aids2611%48%
Counsel patients on communication strategies228%46%
Transition pathways
Adjacent moves that preserve existing skills
credentialed transition
ModerateAudiology Assistant to Audiologist Track
Training horizon: 48-72 months. Skill overlap 54. Wage preservation signal 190.
- Complete a doctor of audiology
- Earn clinical certification
- Serve diagnostic caseloads
role redesign
ModerateHearing Care Practice Manager
Training horizon: 6-12 months. Skill overlap 64. Wage preservation signal 118.
- Own practice operations
- Build physician referral channels
- Lead OTC-plus-service models
Comparison guides
Compare the next move before you commit
48-72 months
Hearing Aid Specialists to Audiology Assistant to Audiologist Track
Compare AI displacement pressure, wage preservation, skill overlap, training time, and first proof project for moving from Hearing Aid Specialists into Audiology Assistant to Audiologist Track.
6-12 months
Hearing Aid Specialists to Hearing Care Practice Manager
Compare AI displacement pressure, wage preservation, skill overlap, training time, and first proof project for moving from Hearing Aid Specialists into Hearing Care Practice Manager.
What the AI risk score means for Hearing Aid Specialists
The displacement pressure score for Hearing Aid Specialists is 32. That score blends task exposure, automation pressure, augmentation potential, wage vulnerability, transition feasibility, and source confidence. It is designed to help workers and workforce teams decide where to act first, not to claim a specific date when a job will disappear.
For this role, the clearest risk pattern is visible at the task level. Administer basic hearing tests and screenings carries 20% automation pressure, while Administer basic hearing tests and screenings carries 54% augmentation potential. That means the best response is usually a targeted redesign of work: move away from repeatable production tasks and toward judgment, exception handling, coordination, stakeholder context, and accountable use of AI tools.
Labor-market context and wage risk
Median wage: $65,160 (May 2025, US national). Employment context: Hearing-care retail facing the OTC disruption. Typical education: State licensure; postsecondary training common.
Wage vulnerability is 48, while transition feasibility is 62. A high wage-vulnerability score means workers should pay close attention to salary preservation before making a move. A high transition-feasibility score means there are adjacent paths that can reuse existing skills without requiring a complete career reset.
- Moderate displacement pressure
- OTC self-fitting takes mild-loss volume
- Complex fittings stay professional
Upskilling priorities
Skills that make this role more resilient
The safest upskilling plan starts with skills already close to the work. For Hearing Aid Specialists, the strongest near-term skill priorities are listed below. These are useful whether the goal is to stay in the role, move to a redesigned version of the role, or transition into an adjacent occupation.
Hearing testing
Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.
Custom fitting technique
Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.
Patient counseling
Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.
Hearing aid repair
Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.
90-day transition plan
The most practical next step is not to wait for a layoff or a full role redesign. Use the next 90 days to create evidence that you can operate in a safer, more AI-augmented version of the work.
- In the first 30 days, document the repetitive tasks in your current work and identify where AI can reduce drafting, lookup, classification, or reporting time.
- By 60 days, complete one small project connected to Audiology Assistant to Audiologist Track, such as complete a doctor of audiology.
- By 90 days, compare internal openings and external postings for Audiology Assistant to Audiologist Track or Hearing Care Practice Manager and update your resume around measurable workflow outcomes.
FAQ
Questions about AI and Hearing Aid Specialists
Will AI replace Hearing Aid Specialists?
Hearing aid specialists test hearing, fit devices, and counsel patients on communication. The disruption here is market structure more than AI: over-the-counter hearing aids with app-based self-fitting took the entry-level segment, pressuring the traditional dispensing model directly. The better planning signal is not full replacement, but which tasks become automated, which tasks become AI-assisted, and which responsibilities still need human judgment.
Which parts of Hearing Aid Specialists work are most exposed to AI?
Administer basic hearing tests and screenings and Create or modify impressions for earmolds and shells show the strongest automation pressure in this model. Administer basic hearing tests and screenings and Train clients to use hearing aids are better treated as AI-augmented work.
What should Hearing Aid Specialists learn next?
Start with Hearing testing, Custom fitting technique, Patient counseling. The most practical adjacent paths in this model are Audiology Assistant to Audiologist Track and Hearing Care Practice Manager.
How should this score be used?
Use it as a planning signal, not a prediction. Confirm local hiring demand, wages, licensing, credentials, and employer adoption before making a career move.
Sources
Evidence trail
OECD / 11 July 2023OECD Employment Outlook 2023: Artificial Intelligence and the Labour MarketO*NET Resource Center / Database 31.0 (August 2026)Occupation, Task, Skill, and Work-Activity DataUS Bureau of Labor Statistics / May 2025 estimates (released 15 May 2026)Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics