Hearing Aid Specialists
Machines can already do 12% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 33%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Hearing Aid Specialists in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 12% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2041, and 33% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 11,270 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $65,160 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 86% for contact with people.
- Also called: Audioprosthologist, Hearing Aid Consultant, Hearing Aid Specialist, Hearing Care Practitioner.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain or repair hearing aids or other communication devices | 18% | 3% to 25% | |
| Train clients to use hearing aids or other augmentative communication devices | 15% | 22% to 42% | |
| Administer basic hearing tests including air conduction, bone conduction, or speech audiometry tests | 15% | 3% to 25% | |
| Counsel patients and families on communication strategies and the effects of hearing loss | 12% | 32% to 50% | |
| Select and administer tests to evaluate hearing or related disabilities | 9% | 3% to 25% | |
| Perform basic screening procedures, such as pure tone screening, otoacoustic screening, immittance screening, and screening of ear canal status using otoscope | 8% | 3% to 25% | |
| Create or modify impressions for earmolds and hearing aid shells | 6% | 3% to 25% | |
| Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in audiology | 5% | 64% to 78% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills hearing aid specialists use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons31% of tasks by 2035 · US median $352,220
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Hearing Aid Specialists?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2041. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of hearing aid specialists?
Machines can do 12% of the tasks of hearing aid specialists today and 33% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 29-2092.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Hearing Aid Specialists: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/hearing-aid-specialists/