Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 8/30/2026
AI Resilience Score for Postsecondary Econ Teacher:
36.2%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Low
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Low
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Most data sources align, with only minor variation. This is a well-supported result.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forEconomics Teachers, Postsecondary
$123,920 median salary•1,000 annual openings•SOC Code: 25-1063.00
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 7 sources.
Economics professors land in the "Somewhat Resilient" category because AI is genuinely changing parts of the job, even if it is not replacing professors altogether. Routine tasks like building syllabi, drafting reading lists, and tracking grades are already being handled faster with AI tools, and chatbots can now tutor students on basic economics questions, which shifts what professors spend their time on.
Learn more about how you can thrive in this position
This role is somewhat resilient
Economics professors land in the "Somewhat Resilient" category because AI is genuinely changing parts of the job, even if it is not replacing professors altogether. Routine tasks like building syllabi, drafting reading lists, and tracking grades are already being handled faster with AI tools, and chatbots can now tutor students on basic economics questions, which shifts what professors spend their time on.
Read full analysisLearn more about how you can thrive in this position
Analysis of Current AI Resilience
Postsecondary Econ Teacher
Updated Quarterly

How is AI changing Postsecondary Econ Teacher jobs?
If you're worried about AI taking over college economics classrooms, here's the honest picture: right now, AI is mostly helping professors rather than replacing them. In a national survey by Ithaka S+R, 72 percent of instructors have experimented with using generative AI as an instructional tool [1], though no individual use case has become particularly well established [1]. For economics specifically, tools like ChatGPT are being tested as automated tutors — a 2026 study found that ChatGPT can serve as an effective automated tutor for basic, knowledge-based questions [2], but often lacks the depth needed for deeper economic reasoning.
That means the high-automation tasks — building reading lists, drafting syllabi, tracking grades — are being sped up by AI, while human professors still lead discussions, mentor research, and serve on committees. The American Economic Association's 2026 meeting even hosted a workshop on using generative AI as a "partner to human thinking" [3] rather than a replacement. AI is also reshaping assessment: Axios reports that since ChatGPT's release, “excellent” grades rose by 30% in classes where AI is useful [4], pushing professors to redesign assignments.
Sources

How fast is AI adoption growing for Postsecondary Econ Teacher?
Adoption is moving fast but unevenly. Inside Higher Ed notes that university partnerships with AI companies boomed in 2025 [5], and cheap, commercially available chatbots make prep tasks easier for cash-strapped schools. But faculty are pushing back on top-down rollouts — the AAUP's Spring 2026 issue argues that administrators sign ed-tech contracts without consulting faculty governance bodies [6], and calls for faculty control over AI decisions.
Ethical concerns about cheating, data privacy, and cognitive offloading will keep humans firmly in charge of teaching for years to come.
Sources

Will AI replace Postsecondary Econ Teacher?
Not entirely. We think AI will take over some tasks, but not the whole job.
Our 36.2% AI Resilience Score puts this role in real-change territory. The data is honest: AI is already handling a lot of the prep work that used to eat up a professor's week, things like building reading lists, drafting syllabi, and answering basic student questions. A 2026 study found that ChatGPT can serve as an effective automated tutor for knowledge-based questions, but often lacks the depth needed for deeper economic reasoning [2]. That gap matters. Teaching students to actually think like economists, to argue, to question assumptions, to connect theory to a messy world, still takes a human in the room.
What keeps this role from being fully automated is less about technology and more about trust and context. Faculty are actively pushing back on top-down AI rollouts, with the AAUP arguing that administrators sign ed-tech contracts without consulting faculty governance bodies [6]. Meanwhile, 72 percent of instructors have experimented with generative AI as an instructional tool [1], which suggests professors are shaping how AI enters their classrooms rather than being replaced by it.
The job market picture is weaker than we would like, so job seekers should expect competition. But the teaching role itself is not going away.
Sources

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Latest AI news for Postsecondary Econ Teacher
As AI reshapes industries, articles highlight both challenges and opportunities for future economics teachers. The case of AI-assisted cheating underscores the need for innovative assessment methods to maintain academic integrity. Meanwhile, insights from Microsoft reveal that teaching roles are evolving, prompting educators to adapt their skills to remain relevant. By understanding AI's impact on the economy and education, aspiring economics teachers can build resilience in their careers, preparing to engage students in critical discussions about AI's role in shaping our economic landscape.

A U.S. prof suspects most of his students used AI to cheat. It's a growing concern here, too
www.cbc.ca • 7/20/2026
A Brown University professor has gone public about what appears to be a large-scale case of cheating using generative AI.

NJBIA Tells Lawmakers AI is an Economic Opportunity for NJ, not a Threat
njbia.org • 6/9/2026
Testifying at a joint legislative committee hearing about the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy and workforce, NJBIA said...

Navigating the Turbulent Future of AI and Work
www.nationalacademies.org • 5/4/2026
As artificial intelligence starts to reshape work across many sectors of the economy, students, parents, and educators are grappling with...

Microsoft researchers have revealed the 40 jobs most exposed to AI—and even teachers make the list
fortune.com • 7/31/2025
Sorry, Gen Z: AI is expected to soon reshape dozens of popular professions—and possibly make some tasks obsolete.

Sal Khan’s Must-Read Book on AI and Education | Bill Gates
www.gatesnotes.com • 1/5/2025
Bill Gates recommends “Brave New Words” to anyone who wants to understand the tremendous impact artificial intelligence will have on learning and teaching.
More Career Info
Career: Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
They teach college students about economics, explaining how money and markets work, and guide them in understanding economic theories and trends.
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Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$123,920
Jobs (2025)
14,600
Growth (2025-35)
+2.4%
Annual Openings
1,000
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
2
Participate in campus and community events.
3
Act as advisers to student organizations.
4
Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
5
Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
6
Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
7
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
