Lower AI-exposure UK jobs that don’t usually need a degree

The 25 least AI-exposed occupations in our index whose ONS SOC 2010 skill level is 1, 2 or 3. ONS defines skill level 4 as the level normally requiring a degree or equivalent, so levels 1 to 3 are a proxy for jobs that do not usually need one. Individual employers may still ask for qualifications, licences or apprenticeships.

#	Occupation	AI exposure	Index rank	SOC skill level	Median FT pay (2020)	Employee jobs
1	Cleaners and domestics	2/100 (Very low)	#100 of 100	Level 1	£17,899	508,000
2	Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers	4/100 (Very low)	#99 of 100	Level 1	£20,257	94,000
3	Elementary process plant occupations n.e.c.	5/100 (Very low)	#98 of 100	Level 1	£22,385	88,000
4	Large goods vehicle drivers	8/100 (Very low)	#97 of 100	Level 2	£30,820	200,000
5	Bar staff	10/100 (Very low)	#96 of 100	Level 1	£18,144	107,000
6	Construction operatives n.e.c.	10/100 (Very low)	#94 of 100	Level 2	£26,418	86,000
7	Carpenters and joiners	10/100 (Very low)	#95 of 100	Level 3	£28,473	75,000
8	Van drivers	13/100 (Very low)	#93 of 100	Level 2	£22,654	258,000
9	Metal working production and maintenance fitters	14/100 (Very low)	#92 of 100	Level 3	£32,934	293,000
10	Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians	18/100 (Very low)	#91 of 100	Level 3	£29,125	126,000
11	Kitchen and catering assistants	21/100 (Low)	#90 of 100	Level 1	£17,356	439,000
12	Food, drink and tobacco process operatives	21/100 (Low)	#89 of 100	Level 2	£21,714	140,000
13	Fire service officers (watch manager and below)	22/100 (Low)	#88 of 100	Level 3	£35,885	69,000
14	Assemblers and routine operatives n.e.c.	23/100 (Low)	#87 of 100	Level 2	£22,296	91,000
15	Electrical and electronic trades n.e.c.	27/100 (Low)	#86 of 100	Level 3	£34,941	115,000
16	Nursing auxiliaries and assistants	27/100 (Low)	#85 of 100	Level 2	£21,514	391,000
17	Police officers (sergeant and below)	30/100 (Low)	#84 of 100	Level 3	£41,641	221,000
18	Elementary storage occupations	32/100 (Low)	#83 of 100	Level 1	£22,236	462,000
19	Waiters and waitresses	32/100 (Low)	#82 of 100	Level 1	£17,425	155,000
20	Electricians and electrical fitters	33/100 (Low)	#81 of 100	Level 3	£33,657	134,000
21	Bus and coach drivers	34/100 (Low)	#80 of 100	Level 2	£27,015	99,000
22	Stock control clerks and assistants	35/100 (Low)	#79 of 100	Level 2	£23,895	73,000
23	Sales and retail assistants	38/100 (Low)	#78 of 100	Level 2	£18,973	1,048,000
24	Caretakers	39/100 (Low)	#77 of 100	Level 2	£22,034	70,000
25	Chefs	40/100 (Medium)	#76 of 100	Level 3	£22,851	178,000

How this ranking was made

Filtered to SOC 2010 skill levels 1–3 (ONS, SOC 2010 Volume 1: skill level 4 “normally requires a degree or equivalent period of work experience”), then sorted by DfE (2023) AIOE score, lowest first. Skill level is a proxy, not an entry requirement.

Index rank: 1 = most exposed of the 100 occupations. Exposure measures how much a job's abilities overlap with current AI applications; it is not a forecast of job losses. Sources: Department for Education (2023), The impact of AI on UK jobs and training; ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2020, Table 14. Full methodology · Compare jobs

More rankings: The 25 UK jobs least exposed to AI · The 25 UK jobs most exposed to AI · The best-paid UK jobs with below-average AI exposure