Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Machines can already do 22% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 41%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Teaching Assistants, Special Education in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 22% of this job's tasks.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2039, and 41% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Contact with people: it scores 80% for contact with people.
- Also called: Assistant Instructor, Co-Teacher, Educational Assistant, Paraeducator.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide assistance to students with special needs | 12% | 3% to 25% | |
| Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers | 12% | 76% to 74% | |
| Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips | 9% | 3% to 25% | |
| Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists | 7% | 9% to 27% | |
| Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms | 6% | 3% to 25% | |
| Observe students' performance, and record relevant data to assess progress | 6% | 50% to 74% | |
| Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement | 4% | 22% to 42% | |
| Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory | 4% | 3% to 25% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills teaching assistants, special education use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Psychiatric Technicians32% of tasks by 2035 · US median $45,130
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Teaching Assistants, Special Education?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2039. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of teaching assistants, special education?
Machines can do 22% of the tasks of teaching assistants, special education today and 41% 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 25-9043.00 (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). Teaching Assistants, Special Education: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/teaching-assistants-special-education/