AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1125.00

Will AI replace Recreational Therapists?

Recreational Therapists: AI can already handle 3 of 11 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 11 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Recreational Therapists, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy. 65 Estimated Frontier 4.5
Confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs. 65 Estimated Standard 4.5
Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests. 65 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs. 50 Estimated Standard 4.6
Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.6
Counsel and encourage patients to develop leisure activities. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.4
Develop discharge plans for patients. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.0
Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Encourage clients with special needs and circumstances to acquire new skills and get involved in health-promoting leisure activities, such as sports, games, arts and crafts, and gardening. 30 Estimated Frontier 4.4
Prepare and submit reports and charts to treatment team to reflect patients' reactions and evidence of progress or regression. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 11 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 11 of 11. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
14,930
Median annual wage
$61,960
Middle half of earners
$50,240 to $79,930
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+3.3%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Recreational Therapists and AI

Will AI replace Recreational Therapists?

AI already handles 3 of the 11 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 47 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +3.3% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Recreational Therapists?

47 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 11 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 11 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Recreational Therapists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy; Confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs; Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Recreational Therapists, and what do they earn?

14,930 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $61,960 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.3% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Recreational Therapists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/recreational-therapists

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