4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 1, 2026 01:09 PM IST
There is growing research warning that AI could make several entry-level jobs across white-collar industries disappear in the next few years. While tech industry leaders are divided on the speed and scale of AI disruption, most of them agree that the technology will have a significant impact on the job market. So, where will the jobs be? Which careers will be most resistant to AI, and where can fresh graduates still find a foothold?
A new study has identified air traffic controllers as the highest-paying entry-level job available in the AI-resistant field of aviation. Air traffic controllers typically do not require a bachelor’s degree, make six figures ($144,000 per year on average), and are virtually impossible to automate since AI can handle only about a quarter of their work, and the rest requires real-time decision-making by a human, according to a report published by GoHumanize, published in June 2026.
The study reveals the top 10 future-proof professions that are easy to enter and pay well. Besides air traffic controllers, commercial pilots are the second highest-paying entry-level jobs in aviation and scored 66 out of 100 points on the report’s AI-resistance index. “Employment is on an upward track as well, with the industry projected to add thousands of pilot positions by 2034,” the report said.
Beyond aviation, the list features healthcare roles like radiation therapists and dental hygienists as well as distribution managers. These rankings come at a time when millions of young people are questioning which careers will be the most stable in the AI era while also being easy to enter and pay well.
“The assumption that AI is only a threat to low-wage or repetitive work is wrong. We’re seeing how AI moves into the legal and finance sectors now, where the jobs used to feel secure. Young people are told to go to university, but in reality, it’s trades that promise a more stable income now. The jobs that require hands-on work and human judgment, or the roles that have direct responsibility for other people’s safety. While no one can predict the job market with certainty, those skills surely seem to be hardest to replicate with software,” the founder of GoHumanize said.
The report analysed and ranked various jobs based on certain criteria. For instance, the job had to be entry accessible via high school diploma, certificate, or apprenticeship. It has to have a median annual wage of at least $50,000 and projected employment growth of at least 7 per cent through 2034. Only entry-level jobs with AI-resistance scores of 70 or higher, meaning no more than 30 per cent of tasks are exposed to automation, were taken into consideration.
The jobs were finally ranked based on their median salaries.
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Other key findings
The installation and repairs of elevators and escalators is a highly-earned skilled trade that pays more than many desk jobs, with an average salary of $106,000. It does not require a college degree and only 45 per cent of tasks are expected to be automated, according to the study.
Supervisors of police and detective units along with transportation and distribution manager jobs were also identified as roles that were virtually impossible to automate.
Here is the full list of the top 10 highest-paying entry-level jobs in AI-resistant fields:
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