Procurement Clerks
Compile information and records to draw up purchase orders for procurement of materials and services.
55,810 people do this job in the US. $50,580 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 90%
- 7%
- 3%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
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, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 71%. Today's estimate: 78%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 19 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform buying duties when necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 50 min13 min to 2.5 h | 79%Half by now | |
| Locate suppliers, using sources such as catalogs and the internet, and interview them to gather information about products to be ordered.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 11% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Maintain knowledge of all organizational and governmental rules affecting purchases, and provide information about these rules to organization staff members and to vendors.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 50 min13 min to 2.5 h | 79%Half by now | |
| Train and supervise subordinates and other staff.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare invitation-of-bid forms, and mail forms to supplier firms or distribute forms for public posting.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 1.1 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people |
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.
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.
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products39% now, 65% by 2028
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks43% now, 43% by 2028
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks63% now, 86% by 2028
- Stockers and Order Fillers18% now, 18% by 2028
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products43% now, 57% by 2028
- Order Clerks71% now, 74% 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).