← All 785 jobsFile 35-3031
Waiters and Waitresses
Also filed here: Waiter, Waitress, Server, Steward restaurant
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 2% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #352 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $35,230 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 2.3 million in the US, with about 423,100 openings a year
The work, 11 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Execute financial transactions18%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,073 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
Still yours: Provide food or beverage services18%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Provide information to guests, clients, or customers15%
AI performed this in about 1 in 9 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Prepare foods or beverages11%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 859 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 98 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Stock supplies or products7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Respond to customer problems or inquiries5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 11 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Maintain safety or security4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,066 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare schedules for services or facilities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 102 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 423,100 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
BLS on AIMore self service technology such as kiosks is expected to reduce the need for these workers. Source ↗
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 62% of the workFast Food and Counter Workers12% AI does, against 20% here+5.8% by 2035 · $31,200 · No formal credential
- Shares 54% of the workBartenders6% AI does, against 20% here+5% by 2035 · $34,340 · No formal credential
- Shares 50% of the workHosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop14% AI does, against 20% here+3.4% by 2035 · $31,200 · No formal credential
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.26, higher than 83% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 35-3031 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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