Retail Loss Prevention Specialists
Implement procedures and systems to prevent merchandise loss. Conduct audits and investigations of employee activity. May assist in developing policies, procedures, and systems for safeguarding assets.
$42,540 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 55%
- 10%
- 35%
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, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 16%. Today's estimate: 23%.
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 . 21 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform covert surveillance of areas susceptible to loss, such loading docks, distribution centers, or warehouses.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Investigate known or suspected internal theft, external theft, or vendor fraud.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 3.3 h50 min to 2.1 work days | 18%Half by Jul 2027 | |
| Implement or monitor processes to reduce property or financial losses.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Conduct store audits to identify problem areas or procedural deficiencies.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Recommend methods to reduce potential financial fraud losses.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 1 work day | 28%Half by Feb 2027 | |
| Monitor compliance with standard operating procedures for loss prevention, physical security, or risk management.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | 76%Half by now | |
| Recommend new or improved processes or equipment to reduce risk exposure.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Direct work of contract security officers or other loss prevention agents.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect buildings, equipment, or access points to determine security risks.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Train establishment personnel in loss prevention activities.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare written reports on investigations.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | 43%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Identify and report merchandise or stock shortages.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%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.
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.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.