Livestock Worker
Snapshot
Livestock workers maintain the health and welfare of animals. They oversee the breeding/production and day-to-day care such as feeding and watering of animals.
Livestock workers are essential to the agricultural industry, focusing on the daily care and well-being of animals on farms and ranches. Your work involves a combination of practical skills and attention to detail, ensuring animals are healthy, comfortable, and productive. This role often requires physical stamina and the ability to work in various weather conditions.
- • Feeding and watering animals according to specific schedules and nutritional needs.
- • Monitoring animal health and reporting any signs of illness or injury to supervisors or veterinarians.
- • Maintaining clean and safe living conditions for livestock, including cleaning pens and enclosures.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Agricultural, forestry and fishery labourers — 14 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark and 5 more.
Longest-running shortage: Lithuania, 3 years.
Where it is regulated, your qualification would need formal recognition before you could practise.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $36,670 2025-05 | −5% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +24.5% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
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Future Outlook for livestock worker
The outlook for livestock worker reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could livestock worker change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- maintain farm equipment
- maintain the farm
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- breed rabbits
- control livestock disease
- recycle livestock manure
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Agriculture
A typical day as a livestock worker
09 09:00 · Morning breed rabbits
10 10:30 · Mid-morning breed stock
12 12:00 · Midday control livestock disease
14 14:00 · Afternoon maintain farm equipment
15 15:30 · Late afternoon maintain pastures
17 17:00 · Wrap-up assist animal birth
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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breed rabbits
Prepare a suitable environment for rabbit breeding. Select and prepare the appropriate habitats for specific kinds of rabbits. Monitor the rabbit's growth and health and ensure correct feeding. Identify when the rabbits are ready for consumption, scientific or other purposes.
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control livestock disease
Control the spread of disease and parasites in herds, by using vaccination and medication, and by separating sick animals.
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breed stock
Breed and raise livestock such as cattle, poultry, and honeybees. Use recognised breeding practices to strive for continuous improvement in the livestock.
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manage the health and welfare of livestock
Assess the current health status of your livestock. Manage any existing disease or disorder, including the requirements for isolation of livestock. Plan and manage a livestock health and welfare plan including clearly defined targets, consulting with specialists/advisers where appropriate. Work closely with the veterinary surgeon and other specialist consultants/advisers.
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assist animal birth
Assist in animal births, and care for newborn livestock. Make sure the animal has a clean and quiet place where it can give birth. Have clean drying towels handy at hand and a bottle filled with iodine.
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maintain farm equipment
Use oil, grease guns, and hand tools to lubricate, adjust, and make minor repairs to farm equipment.
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maintain the farm
Maintain farm facilities such as fences, water supplies, and outdoor buildings.
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operate agricultural machinery
Operate motorised agricultural equipment including tractors, balers, sprayers, ploughs, mowers, combines, earthmoving equipment, trucks, and irrigation equipment.
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recycle livestock manure
Apply livestock manure management techniques at appropriate application windows to recycle livestock manure as organic nutrients for soil and lower the impact on the environment.
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perform farm equipment hygiene
Clean and sanitise equipment used in milking: milk storage tanks, collection cups, and udders of the animals. Ensure that procedures for the sanitary handling of milk are followed.
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maintain pastures
Ensure that animals on pastures or grazing lands have enough feed. Employ pasture-conservation measures such as grazing in rotation.
computerised feeding systems
The functioning of computered controlled systems that provide animal feeding.
livestock feeding
Food given to domestic animals in the course of animal husbandry.
equine dental diseases
Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dental diseases for horses.
- agronomical production principles
- animal nutrition
- biology
- agritourism
Path to become a livestock worker
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Primary education
Regulated in 3 countries on record. Minimum EQF 3.
Reflects the EU regulated-professions database. Not legal advice — confirm requirements with the relevant national authority before relying on this for a career or immigration decision.
886 programmes in 30 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 87 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT) · New Zealand
Agricultural Production Operations
Eastern Iowa Community College District · the United States
Development Quality Partner - AgriSETA · South Africa
JARAMOGI OGINGA ODINGA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY · Kenya
Dundalk Institute of Technology · Ireland
These are 6 of 973.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Source: Study with New Zealand (studywithnewzealand.govt.nz), Education New Zealand. Copyright in the material is owned by Education New Zealand (All content (c) Education New Zealand). Listings are provided by the education providers, are for information and promotional purposes only, and are not endorsed by Education New Zealand; each provider is responsible for its own content.
- 3. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov), CC BY. Data as at 10/06/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 4. Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), All Qualifications and Unit Standards (allqs.saqa.org.za).
- 5. Source: Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (students.kuccps.ac.ke).
- 6. Irish course data from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), run by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does livestock worker fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of animals might a livestock worker care for?
Are there any physical demands of this job?
What skills are helpful for becoming a livestock worker?
Is there a shortage of Livestock Worker in Europe?
How much does Livestock Worker pay in the United States?
Is Livestock Worker a regulated profession?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data