Social and Human Service Assistants
In short: today's best AI models could do about 24% 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 the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 76% of the time, stays with people.
Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, or social work, including support for families. May assist clients in identifying and obtaining available benefits and social and community services. May assist social workers with developing, organizing, and conducting programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships, rehabilitation, or dependent care.
437,860 people do this job in the US. $45,930 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 on0 h
- A person checks AI's work9 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people31 h
Social and Human Service Assistants, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 9 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 31 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Record client visits (about 2 h, a person checks); Develop client care plans (about 2 h, a person checks); Assess clients' needs (about 1 h, a person checks).
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.
- 20%
- 3%
- 11%
- 55%
- 11%
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 24% 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, 21%. Today's estimate: 24%.
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, 0.032% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 286th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 2 of its 19 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0039% to 0.012% (released February and March 2025); 0.014% to 0.022% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.011% to 0.032% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0039% | 636 of 708 | 1 of 19 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.012% | 490 of 703 | 4 of 19 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.014% | 416 of 655 | 4 of 19 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.018% | 406 of 672 | 4 of 19 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.022% | 387 of 677 | 4 of 19 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 387 of 434 | 1 of 19 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.032% | 286 of 447 | 2 of 19 |
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 7% of this job's working time as physical work. For 0% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere. 0.00 of 3.
- Not physical 93%
- No robot shown 7%
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
75% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Oversee residents' daily activities, the in-person work, 24%
- Interview clients on their history, the in-person work, 10%
- Assess clients' needs, the in-person work, 8%
- Find housing for displaced clients, the conversation, 7%
- Visit homes and groups to explain services, the in-person work, 6%
- Advise clients on benefits and budgeting, the in-person work, 5%
What becomes checking the machine
23% 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.
- Record client visits, costly if wrong, 6%
- Develop client care plans, severe if wrong, 5%
- Assess clients' needs, severe if wrong, 4%
- Find housing for displaced clients, costly if wrong, 3%
- Interview clients on their history, costly if wrong, 2%
- Report to the supervisor, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The conversations. About 65% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- Handling protected records. Much of the work touches protected personal records: knowing what may be shared with a model, and how, is part of the job.
- 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.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 19 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oversee day-to-day group activities of residents in institution.Being present with residents through the day's activities.Done daily by most who do it. | 24% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | In person 60%, hands-on 40% | Stays with people |
| Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history.A sit-down interview, with the history written up.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 12% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.1 h | In person 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions.Sitting with the client to judge needs, then the write-up.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | In person 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Assist in locating housing for displaced individuals.Calls to landlords and agencies, applications filled in, and visits with the client.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 h50 min to 4.2 h | Conversation 50%, documents 30%, in person 20% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients.Writing the plan and carrying it out with the client.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Documents 60%, in person 40% | 60%Desk part half by now |
| Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures.Home visits and group sessions in person.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping.Sitting with the client to go through benefits, money and housekeeping.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients.Notes in the case record and visit reports.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Systems 60%, documents 40% | 100%Half by now |
| Provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance.Telling people which agency can help, in person or by phone.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Conversation 50%, in person 50% | Stays with people |
| Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior.Writing the reports and going over the problems with the supervisor.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Documents 50%, conversation 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Transport and accompany clients to shopping areas or to appointments, using automobile.Driving the client and staying with them at the appointment.Done yearly or less by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 2% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 60%, in person 40% | Stays with people |
| Consult with supervisor concerning programs for individual families.Talking through each family's program with the supervisor.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Conversation 100% | 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. 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.
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers32% now, 44% by 2028
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers27% now, 43% by 2028
- Healthcare Social Workers32% now, 50% by 2028
- Marriage and Family Therapists32% now, 35% by 2028
- Mental Health Counselors43% now, 43% by 2028
- Rehabilitation Counselors64% now, 64% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Individual and Family Services128,540 people
- Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals51,420 people
- Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services36,250 people
- State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals31,990 people
- Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities29,030 people
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 Social and Human Service Assistants is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 24% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 24% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. 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 Social and Human Service Assistants 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: Record client visits (100% of the task's time now); Develop client care plans (60% of the task's time now); and Assess clients' needs (30% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Social and Human Service Assistants stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Oversee residents' daily activities; Visit homes and groups to explain services; and Refer people to services. Together such tasks are about 40% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Social and Human Service Assistants learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the conversations; judgment where errors are severe; and dealing with people outside the organization. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 75% of the working time stays with people, 23% becomes checking a model's work and 0% 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 Social and Human Service Assistants?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks, the 286th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 2 of its 19 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. 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 Social and Human Service Assistants?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 7% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 0% of the working time. Its index is 0.00 of 3. 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 19 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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