ASA Index Ranks Software Testing Among Jobs Most Exposed to AI

The American Staffing Association released an AI Impact Index on 15 October, ranking computer and mathematical occupations as the most affected by AI-driven automation and augmentation. Office and administrative support, followed by sales, also ranked highly.

Software quality assurance analysts and testers, writers and authors, and data-entry keyers were among the occupations identified as most affected. Construction, extraction, farming, fishing and forestry were among the least affected, while 183 occupations showed no detected impact in the index.

The index combines Anthropic data with U.S. Department of Labor O*NET information. It measures occupational exposure to automation and augmentation, rather than reporting a tally of redundancies.

The findings align with wider evidence that AI is changing tasks and skills unevenly. IMF analysis presented on 12 October found that highly AI-exposed occupations attract roughly twice as much demand for AI skills as less-exposed jobs. PwC’s 2026 analysis found that jobs requiring AI skills are growing faster and command a wage premium.

For employers, the practical implication is to map affected tasks before proposing role eliminations. Separate work that will be automated from work that will be augmented, consult employees before deciding that roles are genuinely redundant, and assess suitable redeployment and reskilling options.