Industry group, 5418
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
481,600 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $92,910 a year (BLS, May 2025). What follows is how much of their working time the best AI models could finish, when, and in which jobs and tasks. Estimates.
of the paid hours. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
a year: 470 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 64%
- 25%
- 11%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 29% is within reach in tasks not yet seen there.
Across the US: 30% within reach now and 36% by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
Share of the paid hours within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
What handing the work over would take
For the 451,247 people in jobs so far, 94% of the industry's people; the others are in the totals above and join this split as the review reaches their jobs. Shares of their working time within reach now, at the pace and reliability chosen above. Estimates. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
about 369 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 75 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 144 million hours a year. Short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the totals.
What their work is made of
- 54%
- 9%
- 18%
- 8%
- 11%
Each task's time split among five kinds of doing, judged one task at a time; only documents and systems can count as within reach.
What changes for the people
For the 451,247 people in jobs reviewed task by task so far, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: the shares of their working time, from each job page's own map, weighted by how many people here do that job. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job. Estimates.
Conversation, in-person and hands-on work.
Desk work within reach in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs.
Desk work within reach that is small if wrong, with lighter checks.
What most people here would learn first
How many of them have each skill among the first two things to learn on their job's page. Every state, and the US
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself351,533 (78%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts349,288 (77%)
- The conversations62,603 (14%)
- The hands-on craft58,963 (13%)
- Running AI inside the business systems36,500 (8%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization20,870 (5%)
- Judgment where errors are severe11,405 (3%)
- Signing off under your license410 (under 1%)
- Handling protected records390 (under 1%)
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this industry's paid hours were within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 20%. Today's estimate: 48%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 13% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 11% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 8% in a purpose-built cell, 3% in a structured facility. 0.14 of 3.
- Not physical 87%
- No robot shown 2%
- In a purpose-built cell 8%
- In a structured facility 3%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. Weighted by the people in each occupation; each job's page names the robot behind each rated task.
Where the hours are
Jobs by hours within reach now. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index. The 40 largest jobs hold 86% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising Sales Agents | 43,870 | 56% | 51 million | $73K |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 41,070 | 50% | 42 million | $77K |
| Graphic Designers | 19,600 | 87% | 35 million | $61K |
| Public Relations Specialists | 37,610 | 34% | 26 million | $77K |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 21,310 | 59% | 26 million | $71K |
| General and Operations Managers | 25,680 | 45% | 24 million | $128K |
| Art Directors | 16,040 | 54% | 18 million | $121K |
| Project Management Specialists | 10,190 | 58% | 12 million | $78K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 6,640 | 88% | 12 million | $51K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 8,440 | 64% | 11 million | $47K |
| Advertising and Promotions Managers | 8,940 | 60% | 11 million | $134K |
| Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers | 13,940 | 34% | 9.9 million | $36K |
People: BLS counts for this industry, May 2025. Pay here: the median paid for the job in this industry, else its mean, else the national median. 123 smaller jobs (65,610 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 99% of the industry's people; the rest are in BLS "all other" groups with no task list, or in counts BLS does not publish.
The tasks with the most hours within reach by the end of 2028
Across the whole industry, on the chosen pace and reliability.
- Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists26 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Study the objectives, promotional policies, or needs of organizations to develop public relations strategies that will influence public opinion or promote ideas, products, or services.Public Relations Specialists20 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them.Advertising Sales Agents15 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's accomplishments, agenda, or environmental responsibility.Public Relations Specialists12 million hours60% of the task within reach
- Gather data on competitors and analyze their prices, sales, and method of marketing and distribution.Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists10 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Develop sales presentations or proposals to explain service specifications.Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel9.1 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.Advertising Sales Agents9.1 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Devise and evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls, or questionnaires, or arrange to obtain existing data.Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists8.6 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Conduct research on consumer opinions and marketing strategies, collaborating with marketing professionals, statisticians, pollsters, and other professionals.Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists7.8 million hours70% of the task within reach
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.Graphic Designers7 million hours100% of the task within reach
Scan a typical company in this industry
The industry's largest jobs, in the proportions BLS counts across the whole industry, at the pay it pays, run through the company scan. A starting point before you have a roster, or a benchmark for the one you have. Or choose the whole industry: every occupation BLS publishes for it with task data, at its nationwide headcount, the sector report ($249 for the full report, or included in Pro).
Next to this industry
Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services2,445,140 people50% now, 74% by 2028
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services1,872,730 people47% now, 68% by 2028
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services1,719,390 people43% now, 68% by 2028
- Legal Services1,224,710 people52% now, 68% by 2028
- Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services1,091,370 people56% now, 77% by 2028
- Scientific Research and Development Services931,790 people38% now, 64% by 2028
- Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services881,820 people35% now, 44% by 2028
- Specialized Design Services151,930 people52% now, 68% by 2028
How it is built: BLS counts the people in each job in this industry; each job's tasks and their lengths give its share within reach at a date; the industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Value is pay times 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs. Seen in Claude use splits today's share by whether Anthropic saw people bring each task to Claude in 2025; other AI tools are not counted. How it works
Questions about this industry
- How much of the work in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 48% of the paid hours in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services are within reach of AI models now and 64% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (61% to 64% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which jobs in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Advertising Sales Agents (43,870 people, 56% of their time, about 51 million hours a year); Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (41,070 people, 50% of their time, about 42 million hours a year); and Graphic Designers (19,600 people, 87% of their time, about 35 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand (Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, about 26 million hours a year); Study the objectives, promotional policies, or needs of organizations to develop public relations strategies that will influence public opinion or promote ideas, products, or services (Public Relations Specialists, about 20 million hours a year); and Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them (Advertising Sales Agents, about 15 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services learn first?
- Among the 451,247 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are reviewing work you did not do yourself (351,533 people); briefing a model and checking its drafts (349,288 people); and the conversations (62,603 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 36% of their working time stays with people, 50% becomes checking a model's work and 13% can be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- How is this estimated?
- BLS counts the people in each occupation in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (May 2025); each occupation's share of working time within reach comes from its O*NET tasks, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. The industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Task data covers 99% of its people, and 94% are in occupations reviewed task by task. Data checked November 10, 2026.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.