Barely exposed

Farm worker

27.4K UK workers · typical pay £28,000 · entry route GCSEs grades 4-9 (A*-C). Projected headcount change: -1% to 2035.

How AI is actually used here · measured · Anthropic Economic Index

Thin signal. Only 6% of the Claude usage mapped to this job is actual work. The rest is personal or study use of the same skills. Read the figures below as indicative, not precise.

37%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

2.8×

Time compression

~0.7h → ~16min

2.52/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

64%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 40.6%learning 24.7%feedback loop 22.5%task iteration 9.8%validation 1.5%unclassified 0.9%

What people make with AI here

explanation / answer53%advice / recommendation32%data / spreadsheet3%

Real Claude.ai usage mapped to this occupation's SOC group, Apr+May 2026, CC-BY. Claude users only; task times model-estimated; augment/automate is how AI is used, not a count of jobs lost. Method →

Facts · ONS + NCS

UK workers (2024)

27.4K

Median pay

£28.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

2 / 10

Elasticity

2.5 / 10

2035 outlook

-1%

Exposure · 2/10

Why AI can do the work

The core tasks of a farm worker involve physical labor, animal husbandry, and manual machinery operation in unpredictable outdoor environments, which are highly resistant to AI automation. While AI and robotics are increasingly used in precision agriculture and automated milking, the high cost of hardware and the need for manual maintenance, repair, and human oversight in the UK's diverse farming landscape keep exposure low.

Elasticity · 2.5/10

Gated by saturated

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Output is strictly capped by the biological capacity of the UK's fixed livestock population and available agricultural land.

Trajectory to 2035