General and Operations Managers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 45% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 53% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 47% of the time, stays with people.
Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources, but are too diverse and general in nature to be classified in any one functional area of management or administration, such as personnel, purchasing, or administrative services. Usually manage through subordinate supervisors. Excludes First-Line Supervisors.
3,503,020 people do this job in the US. $105,770 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on3 h
- A person checks AI's work15 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet3 h
- Stays with people19 h
General and Operations Managers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 3 hours, 15 hours become checking its work, 3 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 19 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Direct and coordinate departments (about 2 h, a person checks); Set prices or credit terms (about 2 h, a person checks); Prepare schedules and assign duties (about 2 h).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 47%
- 6%
- 36%
- 4%
- 7%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 45% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 16%. Today's estimate: 45%.
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.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.22% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 94th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 2 of its 17 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.12% to 0.039% (released February and March 2025); 0.045% to 0.051% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.23% to 0.22% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.12% | 143 of 708 | 4 of 17 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.039% | 309 of 703 | 3 of 17 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.045% | 253 of 655 | 3 of 17 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.036% | 293 of 672 | 3 of 17 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.051% | 249 of 677 | 3 of 17 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.23% | 92 of 434 | 2 of 17 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.22% | 94 of 447 | 2 of 17 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 3% of this job's working time as physical work. For 3% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 3% in a purpose-built cell. 0.03 of 3, the 616th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 97%
- In a purpose-built cell 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. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
47% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Direct and coordinate departments, the conversation, 9%
- Work the sales floor, the in-person work, 8%
- Direct administrative activities, the conversation, 6%
- Plan activities with other managers, the conversation, 4%
- Set policies, goals and procedures, the conversation, 3%
- Recommend sites and oversee renovations, the hands-on work, 3%
What becomes checking the machine
46% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 7% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Direct and coordinate departments, costly if wrong, 6%
- Set prices or credit terms, costly if wrong, 6%
- Set policies, goals and procedures, costly if wrong, 5%
- Plan activities with other managers, costly if wrong, 4%
- Direct administrative activities, costly if wrong, 4%
- Develop marketing strategies, costly if wrong, 3%
What to learn
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 47% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
- The conversations. About 40% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
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The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct and coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with the production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.Mostly conversation with the people running each part, plus reading and deciding.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 38%Desk part half by now |
| Direct administrative activities directly related to making products or providing services.Mostly conversation with the people running the work, plus reading and deciding.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 39%Desk part half by now |
| Plan or direct activities, such as sales promotions, that require coordination with other department managers.Drafting the plan and working it out in meetings.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Documents 50%, conversation 50% | 48%Desk part half by now |
| Establish or implement departmental policies, goals, objectives, or procedures in conjunction with board members, organization officials, or staff members.Writing policy, and the meetings with officials and staff that shape it.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 9% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Documents 60%, conversation 40% | 44%Desk part half by now |
| Perform sales floor work, such as greeting or assisting customers, stocking shelves, or taking inventory.Serving customers in person and handling stock.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, TX SCARA (Telexistence) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | In person 50%, hands-on 50% | Stays with people |
| Prepare staff work schedules and assign specific duties.Building the schedule in a system, with some planning and telling people.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Systems 50%, documents 30%, conversation 20% | 80%Desk part half by now |
| Recommend locations for new facilities, or oversee the remodeling or renovating of current facilities.Site analysis and proposals, visits to the sites, and calls with contractors.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | Documents 50%, hands-on 30%, conversation 20% | 10%Desk part half by Aug 2027 |
| Set prices or credit terms for goods or services, based on forecasts of customer demand.Analysis of demand and cost, then entering the terms.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Documents 80%, systems 20% | 96%Half by now |
| Direct or coordinate financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency.Working through budgets and figures, and meetings to settle them.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Documents 60%, conversation 40% | 42%Desk part half by now |
| Develop or implement product-marketing strategies, including advertising campaigns or sales promotions.Analysis and planning on paper, with meetings to agree it.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.1 work days | Documents 70%, conversation 30% | 34%Desk part half by now |
| Manage the movement of goods into and out of production facilities to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, or sustainability of operations.Plans and figures, the systems that track shipments, and calls to keep goods moving.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Documents 40%, systems 30%, conversation 30% | 69%Desk part half by now |
| Perform personnel functions, such as selection, training, or evaluation.Interviews and reviews in conversation, with the write-ups behind them.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 38%Desk part half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Chief Executives39% now, 62% by 2028
- Administrative Services Managers52% now, 70% by 2028
- Industrial Production Managers51% now, 68% by 2028
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers46% now, 49% by 2028
- Facilities Managers39% now, 56% by 2028
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers32% now, 68% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of General and Operations Managers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 45% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 53% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (52% to 53% 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 tasks of General and Operations Managers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Direct and coordinate departments (38% of the task's time now); Set prices or credit terms (96% of the task's time now); and Prepare schedules and assign duties (80% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of General and Operations Managers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Work the sales floor. Together such tasks are about 8% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should General and Operations Managers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are reviewing work you did not do yourself; briefing a model and checking its drafts; and the conversations. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 47% of the working time stays with people, 46% becomes checking a model's work and 7% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of General and Operations Managers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.22% went to this job's tasks, the 94th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 2 of its 17 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 14%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of General and Operations Managers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 3% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 3% of the working time. Its index is 0.03 of 3. One example: TX SCARA for "work the sales floor". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 17 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), 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. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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