Office Clerks, General
Machines can already do 49% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 75%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Office Clerks, General in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 49% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 45% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2027, and 75% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 2,464,940 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $45,010 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 83% for contact with people.
- Also called: Administrative Clerk (Admin Clerk), Clerical Aide, Clerical Assistant, Clerk.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints | 13% | 83% to 87% | |
| Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages | 10% | 85% to 87% | |
| Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer | 10% | 20% to 60% | |
| Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities | 8% | 20% to 60% | |
| Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests | 6% | 83% to 97% | |
| Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports | 6% | 60% to 90% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills office clerks, general use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers72% of tasks by 2035 · US median $58,650
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks69% of tasks by 2035 · US median $35,070
- Library Assistants, Clerical62% of tasks by 2035 · US median $36,910
- Telephone Operators70% of tasks by 2035 · US median $41,740
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Office Clerks, General?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2027. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of office clerks, general?
Machines can do 49% of the tasks of office clerks, general today and 75% by 2035. Most of the routine work moves to machines, and the people in the job move to oversight, judgement and client work.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 43-9061.00 (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). Office Clerks, General: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/office-clerks-general/