As Indian students finalise their study abroad plans for the 2026 intakes, they are facing a complex set of challenges. Shifting immigration policies in popular destinations like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, coupled with tighter post-study work rights and rising living costs, are complicating decisions. Adding to this uncertainty is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, leaving many to wonder: which international degrees will guarantee long-term employability and stability?
The Rise of the AI-Resistant Career
This uncertainty has made course selection a high-stakes decision. Beyond seeking high salaries and global mobility, students are now prioritising sustainable careers in fields that artificial intelligence cannot easily disrupt. A new report from IDP Education provides crucial insights, revealing that the most secure and future-proof jobs all share a common foundation: they require uniquely human skills like judgment, empathy, physical presence, and complex decision-making.
The findings are clear: careers that machines cannot replicate are the safest bet for the future.
Top AI-Safe Careers for Indian Students
According to the IDP report, the healthcare and medicine sectors overwhelmingly dominate the list of AI-resistant roles globally. Professions such as Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Urologists, Rehabilitation Physicians, and Nurse Anesthetists are among the most secure, with a risk-of-automation rated as near-zero. While these roles may integrate AI tools to aid their work, their core responsibilities—patient diagnosis, providing emotional support, and direct human interaction—will irreplaceably require a human touch.
The report also underscores that postgraduate education significantly boosts job security and earning potential. Many of the highest-ranked AI-safe careers, especially in medicine, demand advanced qualifications. However, for students aiming to enter the workforce after a bachelor's degree, viable options abound. Careers like Physicists, Nurse Midwives, Physical Therapists, and Security Managers are classified as AI-safe even without further study.
High-Growth, High-Salary Opportunities
A key finding is that the fastest-growing AI-safe roles are concentrated in healthcare. The demand for Nurse Practitioners is projected to surge by 46.3% by 2031, while Physician Assistant roles are expected to grow by 28.5%. These growth rates far exceed the global job market average.
For students preferring undergraduate routes, roles like Physician Assistants, Physicists, Dentists, Nurse Midwives, and Physical Therapists score highly, offering salaries ranging from $99,000 to over $166,000 in the US with near-zero automation risk.
For those willing to pursue postgraduate studies, job security is even higher. Specialised fields such as Urology, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Nurse Anesthesia offer median salaries exceeding USD $200,000, reflecting intense global demand for these skills. Although the annual cost for such advanced degrees can be above USD $40,000, the long-term financial returns remain exceptionally strong.
What to Study Instead of Engineering
The IDP report outlines clear pathways for students looking beyond traditional engineering and IT fields.
First, consider degrees centred on genuine human care. Healthcare, nursing, midwifery, and rehabilitation sciences consistently emerge as the least automatable fields. These careers demand face-to-face interaction, hands-on patient care, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence—areas where AI's capabilities are severely limited.
Second, opt for degrees built on human-centred skills. The report highlights social work, education, occupational therapy, and mental health counselling as highly resilient. These sectors depend heavily on interpersonal skills, contextual understanding, and community engagement.
Finally, science and safety-oriented bachelor's degrees offer stability. Pursuing degrees in Physics, Occupational Therapy, or Security Management can lead to stable, AI-resistant career paths without the immediate need for graduate school. The automation risk for these professions remains below 34%, and they enjoy strong global demand.
Which Careers Face the Highest AI Risk?
The report serves a warning for certain fields, identifying roles in accounting, clerical support, and data-processing as having some of the highest automation risks. These jobs often involve repetitive, rule-based tasks that AI can easily replicate. Students considering these fields are advised to complement their studies with creative, interpersonal, and advanced analytical skills to maintain a competitive edge.
With immigration norms becoming stricter and job markets more selective, graduates need degrees that offer both international mobility and protection from technological disruption. AI-safe fields significantly improve the chances of securing employment abroad, obtaining work visas, and meeting the occupational shortage lists commonly used by countries like Australia, Canada, and the UK.
The conclusion from the IDP Education report is unequivocal: while engineering and IT continue to be valuable, the safest degrees—those least likely to be transformed or replaced by AI—are firmly rooted in healthcare, medicine, education, and the human-centred sciences.
