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Occupation · 2026 assessment

Software Tester

A software tester evaluates products against requirements and risks: designing checks, reproducing defects, automating regression and helping teams understand release quality. AI can generate tests and find routine defects, while critical-scenario selection and user-impact judgement remain human responsibilities.

High risk level Search jobs ↗
How risk may change

A forecast estimate, not a guaranteed scenario.

64%2026
68%2028
73%2030
81%2035

Which tasks are exposed

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

TaskRisk
analysing product requirements and risks82%
designing test scenarios77%
preparing test data and environments73%
manual testing of user flows68%
automating regression tests62%
reproducing and isolating defects52%
verifying fixes and side effects41%
assessing release readiness33%

Task map

AI replaces ↔ AI augments

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

  1. 1analysing product requirements and risksAI 82% · human 44%
  2. 2designing test scenariosAI 77% · human 45%
  3. 3preparing test data and environmentsAI 73% · human 47%
  4. 4manual testing of user flowsAI 68% · human 55%
  5. 5automating regression testsAI 62% · human 51%
  6. 6reproducing and isolating defectsAI 52% · human 54%
  7. 7verifying fixes and side effectsAI 41% · human 50%
  8. 8assessing release readinessAI 33% · human 54%

Why technology can change this work

  • AI systems can already perform part of the information and preparation work
  • full automation is constrained by variable real-world conditions
  • a material share of the job follows stable procedures
  • the main inputs and outputs already exist digitally

What protects the occupation

  • architectural decisions
  • reliability and security accountability
  • business-context understanding

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$8 500per month
2035$10 800scenario estimate
2026: $8 50020262027: $8 75020272028: $8 95020282029: $9 20020292030: $9 45020302031: $9 70020312032: $9 95020322033: $10 25020332034: $10 50020342035: $10 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.

Robotics Technician

Established resilient role
New role risk18%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit70%

AI Security Engineer

Emerging role
New role risk14%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit70%

AI Workflow Designer

Emerging role
New role risk31%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit85%

Product Manager

Established resilient role
New role risk31%
DemandMediumDifficultyHighTime12–24 monthsSkill fit50%

Digital Twin Engineer

Emerging role
New role risk14%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit62%

AI Application Engineer

Established resilient role
New role risk19%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit81%

Job search and transitions

Find work with a lower risk index

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

Skills you already have

  • systems thinking
  • programming and development tools
  • test design
  • diagnostics
  • version control
  • information security

Skills to build

  • AI-assisted development
  • generated-code review
  • systems architecture
  • DevSecOps
  • observability
  • AI-model evaluation
CurrentSoftware Tester · 64%
→
Keepsystems thinking · programming and development tools · test design
→
AddAI-assisted development · generated-code review · systems architecture

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.