Massage Therapists

Low Risk
25%
Where Would You Like to Go Next?
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Vote Comments (18)
Or, Explore This Profession in Greater Detail...
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
21%
(Low Risk)
POLLING
30%
(Low Risk)
Average: 25%
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
20.0%
by year 2032
WAGES
$55,310
or $26.59 per hour
Volume
92,650
as of 2023
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
7.0/10

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Calculated automation risk

21% (Low Risk)

Low Risk (21-40%): Jobs in this level have a limited risk of automation, as they demand a mix of technical and human-centric skills.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some very important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Assisting and Caring for Others

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Manual Dexterity

  • Social Perceptiveness

  • Finger Dexterity

User poll

30% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 21% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Massage Therapists will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?






Sentiment

The following graph is included wherever there is a substantial amount of votes to render meaningful data. These visual representations display user poll results over time, providing a significant indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Massage Therapists' job openings is expected to rise 20.0% by 2032

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031
Updated projections are due 09-2024.

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Massage Therapists' was $55,310, or $26 per hour

'Massage Therapists' were paid 15.1% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Moderate range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 92,650 people employed as 'Massage Therapists' within the United States.

This represents around 0.06% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Massage Therapists'.

Job description

Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.

SOC Code: 31-9011.00

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Comments

Leave a comment

Sagedreamz (Uncertain) 8 months ago
Nothing is Greater than human touch human connection we are vibrational beings not data input output HDMI pugs. Our download is Reiki Energy healing from one human to the other the connection comes in a cycle of giver and receiver. No AI machine would ever transmit that.
1 0 Reply
Tiffini (Low) 1 year ago
This job requires the ability to accurately read and interpret the nuances of what it takes to make a human comfortable across different personality types and cultural differences. There is a mysterious element of manipulating energy, acute awareness and ability to change tactics to match the needs of each individual that I very much doubt a robot could emulate. A machine massage is ok but a human massage seems irreplaceable.
0 0 Reply
Dex (No chance) 2 years ago
The massage robots I’ve seen simply roll different tools back and forth over the body… which in no way comes close to what a skilled massage therapist does. Plus many clients seek massage specifically because they are craving HUMAN contact.
0 0 Reply
Kristine (No chance) 2 years ago
It's customized and complicated for each person and personality. No way a robot could be proficient in it.
0 0 Reply
Noel Masip 3 years ago
The reason why robots can't do this job?


The first fundamental rules of the robots:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

There are the "Hard massages", when people want to feel the pain to feel better

Hard massages, Ventusa, Thai massage, Scrubs and others, do "pain" to feel better later.

And also, there are people who when you do the massage, want it harder, in that moment the robot, will blow up and fail to do the massage to the customer.

Unless AI is very well developed, but not in this century...
1 0 Reply
anika (No chance) 3 years ago
becauseeeee how is steel and metal going to make massages feel good
0 0 Reply
Greg Dahlen (No chance) 4 years ago
think people want the interaction with another human
1 0 Reply
Greg Dahlen 4 years ago
Don't know if robots can do the tiny changes in hand movement that make a good massage
0 0 Reply
Elle 4 years ago
Robots could absolutely do this job. It would feel the same as regular fingers, pressure could be adjusted by voice requests, and as an added bonus it could likely analyze data while performing the massage to make medical recommendations such as how someone should stretch, moles they should have checked, or other health analysis to check for various conditions.
0 0 Reply
Phil (Low) 4 years ago
The human body works off of emotion and continual feedback to shape it. Even if a machine were to precisely target muscle tension and release it, it does not account for the mind-body influence. Maybe in the far future a direct electric connection to the brain might be possible, but not in the next 20 years. Even then, a robot does not offer the social support that is instrumental in the body's reaction.
0 0 Reply
Monica League 5 years ago
Massage therapies work is about human touch. Its make you feel more comfortable. Am not in the favor of robotics touch as its make your body more tired. Robots don't have feeling and they don't know anything about human touch.
0 0 Reply
Sarah (No chance) 5 years ago
Massage therapy would never be done by robots. So this job should never be taken over by robots or artificial intelligence.
0 0 Reply
Vernon Burgess 5 years ago
No robot will understand how to rehabilitate muscles, tendons, connective tissues, mitigate injuries. No way a robot will ever achieve that.
0 0 Reply
Tony Giglio 5 years ago
I disagree, they can learn ANYTHING.... they are already making cancer surgeries instead of surgeons and have better ways to indentify cancers.... and this is just the beginning...
0 0 Reply
Nohar 3 years ago
You compare surgeries to massage? They are way too different!

A massage, it's not only pressures, manipulations and stretching, it's also human contact, psychology and trusting someone.

A robot malfunctioning could harm, an ill therapist, it's resting on a bed.
0 0 Reply
Mike 5 years ago
Robotic massage will have some niches. We already have massage chairs of varying levels of sophistication, but they lack the human touch, the skin on skin contact that can also release endorphins and satisfy a primal urge to be groomed.
0 0 Reply
Aleksi Korhonen 5 years ago
There will always be demand for massage therapists and sex workers etc. You can't make skin-to-skin contact and pheromones artificially.
0 0 Reply
Matthew Watson 5 years ago
This occupation requires the human touch. A person would have to help others relax. While some tasks can be automated. Most of it will require someone to do the work
0 0 Reply

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