Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. · 0.9%
Barbers
Occupation · SOC 39-5011.00
Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving shaves.
Also called: Barber · Barber Shop Operator · Barber Stylist · Stylist · Hair Cutter · Hairstylist · Licensed Barber · Tonsorial Artist
Job family: Personal Care and Service Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-39-5011-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. · 98.9% need a human
- Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques. · 96.8% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+4.1% by 2034)
- 8,400 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Median pay $38,960/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (64th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (26th)
26th-percentile task overlap — yet about 8,400 openings a year (+4.1% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4133% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 28th | -0.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 28th | 0.2 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 29th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.2). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 64th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques. | 0.6% | |
| Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +4.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 8,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 76,000 → 79,200 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Barbers sits at the 23rd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
17% mean task exposure (2025)
23rd percentile of 427 placed occupations
−5 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Hairdressers · 5141 | 17% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 41.3% working with AI · 24.8% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.5 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 13.2% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. | Learning | 0.9% |
| Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques. | — | 0.3% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. | 98.9% | |
| Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques. | 96.8% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems.From: Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. · 0.9% of measured AI use · learning
-
Help me stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques.From: Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques. · 0.3% of measured AI use
Tasks
All 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Clean and sterilize scissors, combs, clippers, and other instruments. Core · importance 4.9
- Cut and trim hair according to clients' instructions or current hairstyles, using clippers, combs, hand-held blow driers, and scissors. Core · importance 4.9
- Drape and pin protective cloths around customers' shoulders. Core · importance 4.9
- Question patrons regarding desired services and haircut styles. Core · importance 4.8
- Clean work stations and sweep floors. Core · importance 4.7
- Apply lather and shave beards or neck and temple hair contours, using razors. Core · importance 4.4
- Record services provided on cashiers' tickets or receive payment from customers. Core · importance 4.2
- Shape and trim beards and moustaches, using scissors. Core · importance 4.2
- Perform clerical and administrative duties such as keeping records, paying bills, and hiring and supervising personnel. Core · importance 4.1
- Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques. Core · importance 3.8
- Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems. Core · importance 3.7
- Order supplies. Core · importance 3.6
- Provide skin care and nail treatments. Supplemental · importance 3.3
- Shampoo hair. Core · importance 3.3
- Keep card files on clientele, recording notes of work done, products used and fees charged after each visit. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Recommend and sell lotions, tonics, or other cosmetic supplies. Core · importance 3.1
- Curl, color, or straighten hair, using special chemical solutions and equipment. Supplemental · importance 3.0
- Provide face, neck, and scalp massages. Supplemental · importance 2.6
- Identify hair problems, using microscopes and testing devices, or by sending clients' hair samples out to independent laboratories for analysis. Supplemental
- Measure, fit, and groom hairpieces. Supplemental
Work activities
- Clean tools or equipment.
- Trim client hair.
- Apply protective coverings to objects or surfaces near work areas.
- Discuss service options or needs with clients.
- Clean facilities or work areas.
- Maintain financial or account records.
- Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
- Maintain professional knowledge or certifications.
- Provide medical or cosmetic advice for clients.
- Apply cleansing or conditioning agents to client hair, scalp, or skin.
- Maintain client information or service records.
- Supervise service workers.
- Perform administrative or clerical tasks.
- Perform human resources activities.
- Apply solutions to hair for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes.
- Sell products or services.
- Promote products, services, or programs.
- Administer therapeutic massages.
- Treat nails by shaping, decorating, or augmenting.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.9 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.4 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.0 | |
| Visualization | 3.0 | |
| Control Precision | 3.0 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 2.8 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 2.8 | |
| Time Sharing | 2.8 | |
| Originality | 2.5 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.4 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 | |
| Monitoring | 2.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.8 | |
| Active Learning | 2.5 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 2.6 | |
| Coordination | 2.5 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Web page creation and editing software | Hot technology | |
| Linux | Operating system software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Appointment scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software | |
| Customer information databases | Data base user interface and query software | |
| Point of sale POS payment software | Point of sale POS software | |
| YouTube | Video creation and editing software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 28.7% | |
| High School Diploma | 24.6% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 20.9% | |
| Some College Courses | 11.7% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 11.1% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 1.7% | |
| Master's Degree | 1.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.4 | |
| Conventional | 3.9 | |
| Social | 3.6 | |
| Enterprising | 3.5 | |
| Artistic | 2.7 |
Interest areas
| Personal Service | 5.1 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.8 | |
| Sales | 2.6 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.4 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 2.1 | |
| Marketing/Advertising | 1.8 | |
| Human Resources | 1.8 |
Work styles
| Social Orientation | 2.3 | |
| Dependability | 2.0 | |
| Cooperation | 1.9 | |
| Attention to Detail | 1.9 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $27,770 |
| 25th percentile | $32,050 |
| Median (50th) | $38,960 |
| 75th percentile | $59,180 |
| 90th percentile | $78,440 |
| People employed | 18,100 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 17,660 | $38,620 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 80 | $35,580 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 50 | $39,720 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | — | $55,860 |
| Accommodation and Food Services · Sector | — | $54,230 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 33.99× | 17,660 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists · 39-5012.00 Compare →
- Skincare Specialists · 39-5094.00 Compare →
- Shampooers · 39-5093.00 Compare →
- Manicurists and Pedicurists · 39-5092.00 Compare →
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance · 39-5091.00 Compare →
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers · 51-6052.00 Compare →
- Sewers, Hand · 51-6051.00 Compare →
- Spa Managers · 11-9179.02 Compare →
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance · 47-2141.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers · 39-1022.00 Compare →
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers · 51-9123.00 Compare →
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers · 51-6011.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Barbers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Postsecondary nondegree award · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 23rd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Barbers show 26th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 8,400 annual U.S. openings
- Barbers rank in the 26th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 8,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+4.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $38,960, across about 18,100 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 41% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Barbers show 26th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 8,400 annual U.S. openings • Barbers rank in the 26th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 8,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+4.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $38,960, across about 18,100 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 41% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Barbers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5011-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Barbers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5011-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Barbers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5011-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-39-5011-00,
title = {Barbers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5011-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.