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Occupation · 2026 assessment

Air Traffic Controller

A Air Traffic Controller operates, coordinates or supports aircraft under strict safety and regulatory requirements. The assessment separates automation of individual tasks from accountability for the professional outcome.

Low risk level Search jobs ↗
How risk may change

A forecast estimate, not a guaranteed scenario.

27%2026
30%2028
34%2030
40%2035

Which tasks are exposed

Risk applies to individual tasks—not to a person or an entire occupation.

TaskRisk
pre-flight preparation45%
checking documentation and weather40%
monitoring technical condition36%
flight operation or coordination31%
radio communications25%
responding to deviations15%
post-flight checks4%
safety-event review3%

Task map

AI replaces ↔ AI augments

Each task is positioned by AI capability and the degree of human involvement still required.

  1. 1pre-flight preparationAI 45% · human 69%
  2. 2checking documentation and weatherAI 40% · human 75%
  3. 3monitoring technical conditionAI 36% · human 68%
  4. 4flight operation or coordinationAI 31% · human 73%
  5. 5radio communicationsAI 25% · human 73%
  6. 6responding to deviationsAI 15% · human 88%
  7. 7post-flight checksAI 4% · human 85%
  8. 8safety-event reviewAI 3% · human 85%

Why technology can change this work

  • digital tools reduce preparation and control time
  • repeatable physical operations can be mechanised or robotised in structured environments
  • many cases still require professional judgement
  • key information often emerges only through direct work

What protects the occupation

  • safety of people and equipment
  • fast decisions during disruptions
  • route or traffic accountability

United States · before tax

Average pay and outlook

Estimated nominal monthly pay. The scenario reflects sector, demand and task resilience; it is not a guarantee of income.

2026$6 100per month
2035$8 800scenario estimate
2026: $6 10020262027: $6 35020272028: $6 60020282029: $6 90020292030: $7 20020302031: $7 50020312032: $7 80020322033: $8 10020332034: $8 45020342035: $8 8002035
Find jobs ↗The partner link may contain referral parameters. Data benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ↗

Practical next step

Where to move next

Do not restart from zero: carry your experience forward and add scarce skills.

Autonomous Vehicle Safety Operator

Emerging role
New role risk17%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit89%

Drone Traffic Manager

Emerging role
New role risk18%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit87%

Autonomous Rail Supervisor

Emerging role
New role risk13%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit85%

Autonomous Ship Operations Specialist

Emerging role
New role risk14%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit83%

Robotics Maintenance Planner

Emerging role
New role risk15%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit62%

Robot Fleet Manager

Emerging role
New role risk12%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit62%

Job search and transitions

Find work with a lower risk index

Compare adjacent paths and open a current search for the selected occupation.

Autonomous Ship Operations Specialist

Skill fit 83% · risk 14%

Search jobs ↗

Skills you already have

  • aviation regulations
  • human factors
  • navigation and communications
  • emergency procedures
  • technical diagnostics
  • crew resource management

Skills to build

  • AI decision support
  • autonomous-system monitoring
  • digital maintenance
  • flight-data analysis
  • avionics cybersecurity
  • uncrewed traffic management
CurrentAir Traffic Controller · 27%
→
Keepaviation regulations · human factors · navigation and communications
→
AddAI decision support · autonomous-system monitoring · digital maintenance

Sources and update

Updated: 2026-09-26 · Assessment confidence: Medium

International Labour Organization · 2025Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure

Nearly 30,000 tasks; a global assessment of GenAI exposure across detailed occupational groups.

World Economic Forum · 2025The Future of Jobs Report 2025

A survey of more than 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers across 55 economies.

O*NET Resource Center · 2026O*NET Database

Occupational, task, skill and work-context structure.