Industry group, 5611
Office Administrative Services
553,120 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $92,260 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: 575 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 68%
- 24%
- 9%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 37% 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 506,337 people in jobs so far, 92% 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 358 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 208 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 178 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
- 46%
- 21%
- 19%
- 5%
- 9%
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 506,337 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 yourself404,987 (80%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts297,380 (59%)
- Running AI inside the business systems156,520 (31%)
- The hands-on craft50,060 (10%)
- Judgment where errors are severe38,573 (8%)
- The conversations36,023 (7%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization11,430 (2%)
- Signing off under your license9,350 (2%)
- Handling protected records3,110 (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, 30%. Today's estimate: 54%.
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 11% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 8% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 6% in a purpose-built cell, 2% in a structured facility. 0.10 of 3.
- Not physical 89%
- No robot shown 3%
- In a purpose-built cell 6%
- In a structured facility 2%
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 80% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representatives | 34,040 | 64% | 46 million | $45K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 22,830 | 88% | 42 million | $51K |
| General and Operations Managers | 41,820 | 45% | 39 million | $125K |
| Office Clerks, General | 22,750 | 56% | 27 million | $45K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 23,220 | 54% | 26 million | $72K |
| Accountants and Auditors | 24,830 | 45% | 23 million | $83K |
| Billing and Posting Clerks | 12,810 | 85% | 23 million | $49K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 16,470 | 59% | 20 million | $47K |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 11,230 | 84% | 20 million | $45K |
| Human Resources Specialists | 14,630 | 63% | 19 million | $76K |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 12,610 | 59% | 15 million | $75K |
| Financial Managers | 13,600 | 52% | 15 million | $168K |
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. 153 smaller jobs (105,290 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 93% 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.
- Compile reports of cost factors, such as labor, production, storage, and equipment.Billing and Posting Clerks8 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills.Customer Service Representatives7.7 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks7.4 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.Customer Service Representatives7.1 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.Accountants and Auditors6.8 million hours100% of the task within reach
- 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 Specialists6.2 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.Office Clerks, General5.7 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Evaluate financial reporting systems, accounting or collection procedures, or investment activities and make recommendations for changes to procedures, operating systems, budgets, or other financial control functions.Financial Managers5.5 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.Customer Service Representatives5.5 million hours80% of the task within reach
- Develop, implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current computer technology.Accountants and Auditors5.4 million hours80% 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.
- Employment Services3,301,980 people27% now, 32% by 2028
- Services to Buildings and Dwellings2,310,020 people13% now, 14% by 2028
- Investigation and Security Services1,061,550 people20% now, 21% by 2028
- Business Support Services652,900 people55% now, 60% by 2028
- Other Support Services328,520 people31% now, 35% by 2028
- Facilities Support Services200,420 people21% now, 25% by 2028
- Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services190,670 people50% now, 58% 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 Office Administrative Services is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 54% of the paid hours in Office Administrative Services are within reach of AI models now and 67% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (65% to 68% 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 Office Administrative 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): Customer Service Representatives (34,040 people, 64% of their time, about 46 million hours a year); Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (22,830 people, 88% of their time, about 42 million hours a year); and General and Operations Managers (41,820 people, 45% of their time, about 39 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Office Administrative Services carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Compile reports of cost factors, such as labor, production, storage, and equipment (Billing and Posting Clerks, about 8 million hours a year); Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills (Customer Service Representatives, about 7.7 million hours a year); and Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information (Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, about 7.4 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Office Administrative Services learn first?
- Among the 506,337 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 (404,987 people); briefing a model and checking its drafts (297,380 people); and running AI inside the business systems (156,520 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 32% of their working time stays with people, 54% 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 Office Administrative 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 93% of its people, and 92% 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.