Industry group, 4238
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
774,540 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $74,450 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: 538 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 39%
- 21%
- 40%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 24% 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 721,578 people in jobs so far, 93% 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 340 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 189 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 184 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
- 27%
- 13%
- 13%
- 9%
- 38%
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 721,578 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
- The hands-on craft318,680 (44%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself286,828 (40%)
- The conversations213,055 (30%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts199,333 (28%)
- Judgment where errors are severe167,420 (23%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization128,600 (18%)
- Running AI inside the business systems81,930 (11%)
- Signing off under your license7,550 (1%)
- Handling protected records720 (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, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 21%. Today's estimate: 34%.
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 41% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 27% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 19% in a purpose-built cell, 8% in a structured facility, 1% in any setting. 0.37 of 3.
- Not physical 59%
- No robot shown 13%
- In a purpose-built cell 19%
- In a structured facility 8%
- In any setting 1%
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 83% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 112,430 | 46% | 109 million | $69K |
| General and Operations Managers | 36,220 | 45% | 34 million | $110K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 23,480 | 64% | 31 million | $55K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 16,600 | 88% | 30 million | $51K |
| Office Clerks, General | 18,260 | 56% | 21 million | $47K |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | 17,270 | 53% | 19 million | $47K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | 16,970 | 47% | 17 million | $84K |
| Sales Managers | 14,390 | 42% | 12 million | $128K |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 46,600 | 13% | 12 million | $63K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 9,810 | 59% | 12 million | $48K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 9,350 | 54% | 11 million | $75K |
| Accountants and Auditors | 9,510 | 45% | 8.9 million | $80K |
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. 187 smaller jobs (133,060 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.
- Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products26 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products17 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products14 million hours50% of the task within reach
- Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products12 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare sales contracts and order forms.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products8.4 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products6.2 million hours20% of the task within reach
- Analyze test results, machine error messages, or information obtained from operators to diagnose equipment problems.Industrial Machinery Mechanics5.9 million hours70% of the task within reach
- Obtain credit information about prospective customers.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products5.8 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Develop or implement electronic maintenance programs or computer information management systems.First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers5.7 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks5.4 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.
- Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)1,503,920 people35% now, 40% by 2028
- Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers745,720 people43% now, 53% by 2028
- Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers368,470 people29% now, 33% 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 Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 34% of the paid hours in Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers are within reach of AI models now and 39% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (38% to 39% 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 Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products (112,430 people, 46% of their time, about 109 million hours a year); General and Operations Managers (36,220 people, 45% of their time, about 34 million hours a year); and Customer Service Representatives (23,480 people, 64% of their time, about 31 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales (Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, about 26 million hours a year); Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports (Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, about 17 million hours a year); and Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences (Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, about 14 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers learn first?
- Among the 721,578 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are the hands-on craft (318,680 people); reviewing work you did not do yourself (286,828 people); and the conversations (213,055 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 59% of their working time stays with people, 28% becomes checking a model's work and 12% 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 Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (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 93% 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.