Share and intensity of work current AI systems can materially affect.
SOC 31-9011
Massage Therapists AI displacement risk
Massage is licensed manual therapy: reading tissue, adjusting pressure, and treating pain through hands-on work. AI touches booking and exercise-plan handouts; the treatment itself is irreducibly physical and trust-based.
Likely potential for exposed tasks to move to software after workflow integration.
No robot performs soft-tissue therapy at any meaningful standard, and licensure plus the therapeutic relationship anchor the profession. Administrative apps reduce friction; they do not compete with the service.
Distribution
Where Massage Therapists sits across 620 tracked roles
Displacement pressure 8 — higher than 0% of the 620 occupations tracked on displacement.ai.
Score version
This page uses Seed model v0.4 (seed-v0.4-2026-05), last reviewed 2026-08-08. Directional occupation-level planning model using hand-reviewed public research, task exposure estimates, wage context, and transition-pathway assumptions.
14 O*NET task statements matched to SOC 31-9011. The displayed task profile combines these official task statements with the current public score model.
Median wage context: $58,450 (May 2025, US national). The latest BLS row matched SOC 31-9011.
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 Massage Therapists
SOC 31-9011 places this role in the paper's all-other occupation group. These group-level outcomes do not change the 8/100 role score and are not an occupation forecast.
+1.1% group wage
Employment rises and unemployment falls for the all-other group, but the paper does not publish a separate group rate.
Economy-wide: +1.6% GDP and 3.9% unemployment.
+5.9% group wage
Employment rises and unemployment falls for the all-other group, but the paper does not publish a separate group rate.
Economy-wide: +8.3% GDP and 4.6% unemployment.
+33.6% group wage
Employment rises and unemployment falls for the all-other group, but the paper does not publish a separate group rate.
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 Massage Therapists
The current evidence import matched 14 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 tasks14
SOC31-9011
- Core task / ID 7880
Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
- Core task / ID 7879
Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
- Core task / ID 7878
Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
- Core task / ID 23928
Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
- Core task / ID 7887
Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.
- Core task / ID 7884
Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
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
Massage muscles and soft tissue
Exposure 8, automation 2%, augmentation 12%.
O*NET evidence: Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical... (ID 7880)
Assess client condition and plan treatment
Exposure 28, automation 9%, augmentation 48%.
O*NET evidence: Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and... (ID 7883)
Confer with clients on history and pain
Exposure 24, automation 6%, augmentation 42%.
O*NET evidence: Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to d... (ID 7878)
Maintain treatment records
Exposure 46, automation 24%, augmentation 56%.
O*NET evidence: Maintain treatment records. (ID 7881)
TaskExposureAutomationAugmentation
Massage muscles and soft tissue82%12%
Assess client condition and plan treatment289%48%
Confer with clients on history and pain246%42%
Maintain treatment records4624%56%
Transition pathways
Adjacent moves that preserve existing skills
credentialed transition
LowMedical Massage Specialist
Training horizon: 6-12 months. Skill overlap 68. Wage preservation signal 118.
- Earn clinical massage certifications
- Build referral relationships with clinicians
- Document treatment outcomes
role redesign
LowSpa or Clinic Owner
Training horizon: 6-12 months. Skill overlap 64. Wage preservation signal 134.
- Build a loyal client book
- Learn small-business finance
- Hire and manage therapists
Comparison guides
Compare the next move before you commit
6-12 months
Massage Therapists to Medical Massage Specialist
Compare AI displacement pressure, wage preservation, skill overlap, training time, and first proof project for moving from Massage Therapists into Medical Massage Specialist.
6-12 months
Massage Therapists to Spa or Clinic Owner
Compare AI displacement pressure, wage preservation, skill overlap, training time, and first proof project for moving from Massage Therapists into Spa or Clinic Owner.
What the AI risk score means for Massage Therapists
The displacement pressure score for Massage Therapists is 8. 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. Maintain treatment records carries 24% automation pressure, while Maintain treatment records carries 56% 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: $58,450 (May 2025, US national). Employment context: Touch-therapy profession with wellness-economy growth. Typical education: Postsecondary certificate plus state licensure in most states.
Wage vulnerability is 58, while transition feasibility is 64. 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.
- Very low displacement pressure
- Wellness demand keeps growing
- Apps handle booking, not treatment
Upskilling priorities
Skills that make this role more resilient
The safest upskilling plan starts with skills already close to the work. For Massage Therapists, 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.
Manual therapy 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.
Client assessment
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.
Treatment planning
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.
Scheduling systems
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 Medical Massage Specialist, such as earn clinical massage certifications.
- By 90 days, compare internal openings and external postings for Medical Massage Specialist or Spa or Clinic Owner and update your resume around measurable workflow outcomes.
FAQ
Questions about AI and Massage Therapists
Will AI replace Massage Therapists?
Massage is licensed manual therapy: reading tissue, adjusting pressure, and treating pain through hands-on work. AI touches booking and exercise-plan handouts; the treatment itself is irreducibly physical and trust-based. 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 Massage Therapists work are most exposed to AI?
Maintain treatment records and Assess client condition and plan treatment show the strongest automation pressure in this model. Maintain treatment records and Assess client condition and plan treatment are better treated as AI-augmented work.
What should Massage Therapists learn next?
Start with Manual therapy technique, Client assessment, Treatment planning. The most practical adjacent paths in this model are Medical Massage Specialist and Spa or Clinic Owner.
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
International Labour Organization / 20 May 2025Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational ExposureO*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