File Clerks
Machines can already do 39% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 71%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
File Clerks in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 39% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 16% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2031, and 71% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 73,440 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $43,600 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 77% for contact with people.
- Also called: Claims Clerk, Clerk, Clerk Typist, Documentation Specialist.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input data, such as file numbers, new or updated information, or document information codes into computer systems to support document and information retrieval | 16% | 85% to 97% | |
| Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials | 13% | 20% to 60% | |
| Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order | 11% | 20% to 60% | |
| Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users | 10% | 20% to 60% | |
| Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed | 7% | 55% to 85% | |
| Answer questions about records or files | 6% | 83% to 87% | |
| Place materials into storage receptacles, such as file cabinets, boxes, bins, or drawers, according to classification and identification information | 6% | 20% to 60% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills file clerks use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Pharmacy Technicians64% of tasks by 2035 · US median $45,750
- Telephone Operators70% of tasks by 2035 · US median $41,740
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks69% of tasks by 2035 · US median $35,070
- Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators70% of tasks by 2035 · US median $40,610
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of File Clerks?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2031. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of file clerks?
Machines can do 39% of the tasks of file clerks today and 71% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 43-4071.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). File Clerks: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/file-clerks/