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 →Manicurists and Pedicurists
Occupation · SOC 39-5092.00
Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.
Also called: Manicurist · Nail Technician (Nail Tech) · Pedicurist · Fingernail Former · Fingernail Sculptor · Fingernail Sculpturer · Fingernail Technician · Licensed Nail Technician (Licensed Nail Tech) · Nail Artist · Salon Nail Technician (Salon Nail Tech) · Spa Nail Technician (Spa Nail Tech)
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-39-5092-00/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.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+7.0% by 2034)
- 24,800 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $34,660/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (89th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (21st)
21st-percentile task overlap — yet about 24,800 openings a year (+7% projected, BLS) . 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.) Moderate | 48th | 0.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 15th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 6th | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). 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.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
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 0.9 · 89th percentile among occupations · High
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.
| Advise clients on nail care and use of products and colors. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +7.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 24,800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 210,100 → 224,800 |
“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.
Manicurists and Pedicurists sits at the 29th 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.
18% mean task exposure (2025)
29th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−4 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Beauticians and Related Workers · 5142 | 18% | 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.
Tasks
All 18 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 sanitize tools and work environment. Core · importance 4.8
- Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush. Core · importance 4.7
- Maintain supply inventories and records of client services. Core · importance 4.6
- Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards. Core · importance 4.6
- Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles. Core · importance 4.5
- Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks. Core · importance 4.5
- Remove previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs. Core · importance 4.4
- Use rotary abrasive wheels to shape and smooth nails or artificial extensions. Core · importance 4.3
- Schedule client appointments and accept payments. Core · importance 4.3
- Assess the condition of clients' hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands. Core · importance 4.2
- Roughen surfaces of fingernails, using abrasive wheel. Core · importance 4.2
- Advise clients on nail care and use of products and colors. Core · importance 4.2
- Treat nails to repair or improve strength and resilience by wrapping. Core · importance 4.1
- Extend nails using powder, solvent, and paper forms attached to tips of customers' fingers to support and shape artificial nails. Core · importance 3.9
- Polish nails, using powdered polish and buffer. Core · importance 3.8
- Whiten underside of nails with white paste or pencils. Core · importance 3.4
- Promote and sell nail care products. Core · importance 3.2
- Decorate clients' nails by piercing or attaching ornaments or designs. Core · importance 3.1
Work activities
- Treat nails by shaping, decorating, or augmenting.
- Assess skin or hair conditions.
- Administer therapeutic massages.
- Clean tools or equipment.
- Schedule appointments.
- Provide medical or cosmetic advice for clients.
- Maintain client information or service records.
- Maintain supply or equipment inventories.
- Sell products or services.
- Promote products, services, or programs.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.1 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.0 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 2.9 | |
| Selective Attention | 2.9 | |
| Control Precision | 2.9 | |
| Speech Clarity | 2.9 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.8 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.8 | |
| Originality | 2.6 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.6 | |
| Information Ordering | 2.6 | |
| Time Sharing | 2.6 | |
| Written Comprehension | 2.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.5 | |
| Category Flexibility | 2.5 | |
| Visualization | 2.5 |
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.4 | |
| English Language | 2.6 | |
| Administration and Management | 2.6 | |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.5 | |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.4 | |
| Production and Processing | 2.4 | |
| Mathematics | 2.4 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.8 | |
| Active Learning | 2.8 | |
| Monitoring | 2.6 | |
| Critical Thinking | 2.5 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 2.8 | |
| Time Management | 2.8 | |
| Persuasion | 2.6 | |
| Negotiation | 2.5 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.4 |
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 | |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Aknaf ADVANTAGE Salon Software and Spa Software | Data base user interface and query software | |
| Appointment Search | Calendar and scheduling software | |
| AppointmentQuest Online Appointment Scheduler | Calendar and scheduling software | |
| Customer information databases | Customer relationship management CRM software | |
| DaySmart Software Appointment-Plus | Calendar and scheduling software | |
| DaySmart Software Salon Iris | Data base user interface and query 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 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — 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 | 14.8% | |
| Some College Courses | 0.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.6 | |
| Conventional | 3.7 | |
| Social | 3.1 | |
| Enterprising | 2.4 | |
| Artistic | 2.3 |
Interest areas
| Personal Service | 5.6 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 2.7 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.4 | |
| Sales | 2.3 | |
| Visual Arts | 2.1 | |
| Marketing/Advertising | 1.7 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.2 | |
| Social Orientation | 2.1 | |
| Cooperation | 1.9 | |
| Empathy | 1.7 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $27,910 |
| 25th percentile | $31,510 |
| Median (50th) | $34,660 |
| 75th percentile | $37,660 |
| 90th percentile | $47,990 |
| People employed | 147,820 |
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 | 145,870 | $34,650 |
| Accommodation and Food Services · Sector | 1,210 | $36,940 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 310 | $37,390 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 220 | $29,850 |
| Casino Hotels · National industry | 180 | $31,200 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers · National industry | 170 | $38,850 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 130 | $43,710 |
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 | 34.37× | 145,870 |
| Casino Hotels · National industry | 0.56× | 180 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers · National industry | 0.28× | 170 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 0.12× | 310 |
| Accommodation and Food Services · Sector | 0.09× | 1,210 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 0.01× | 220 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 0.01× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists · 39-5012.00 Compare →
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers · 51-9123.00 Compare →
- Skincare Specialists · 39-5094.00 Compare →
- Barbers · 39-5011.00 Compare →
- Shampooers · 39-5093.00 Compare →
- Furniture Finishers · 51-7021.00 Compare →
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance · 39-5091.00 Compare →
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9124.00 Compare →
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand · 51-9022.00 Compare →
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners · 51-4194.00 Compare →
- Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-6042.00 Compare →
- Sewers, Hand · 51-6051.00 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 Manicurists and Pedicurists — 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 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some 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 29th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Manicurists and Pedicurists show 21st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 24,800 annual U.S. openings
- Manicurists and Pedicurists rank in the 21st 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 24,800 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 growing fast (+7%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $34,660, across about 147,820 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Manicurists and Pedicurists show 21st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 24,800 annual U.S. openings • Manicurists and Pedicurists rank in the 21st 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 24,800 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 growing fast (+7%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $34,660, across about 147,820 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Manicurists and Pedicurists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5092-00 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. "Manicurists and Pedicurists." 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-39-5092-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Manicurists and Pedicurists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5092-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-39-5092-00,
title = {Manicurists and Pedicurists},
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-39-5092-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.