Will AI replace brokerage clerks?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 2h of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The breakdown: 38m done by people with AI help, 1h 22m that AI mostly does alone. The other 6h (75%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 7.6% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 10 tasks, about 2h of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Document security transactions, such as purchases, sales, conversions, redemptions, or payments, using computers, accounting ledgers, or certificate records. (1h 22m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Perform clerical tasks, such as answering phones or distributing mail. (38m a shift, people use AI to help)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 2 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

6h of a typical shift, or 75%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Correspond with customers and confer with coworkers to answer inquiries, discuss market fluctuations, or resolve account problems. (1h 35m a shift)
• Prepare forms, such as receipts, withdrawal orders, transmittal papers, or transfer confirmations, based on transaction requests from stockholders. (57m a shift)
• Verify ownership and transaction information and dividend distribution instructions to ensure conformance with governmental regulations, using stock records and reports. (44m a shift)
• File, type, or operate standard office machines. (38m a shift)
• Compute total holdings, dividends, interest, transfer taxes, brokerage fees, or commissions and allocate appropriate payments to customers. (38m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 84% are in constant contact with other people
• 75% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 64% work at arm's length or closer to other people

On Indeed, job postings in the Customer Service sector are at 87% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 1.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 3,400 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $65,750 a year ($31.61 an hour), 29% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $50,260 and $102,010 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 7.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 34,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 3,400 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 36,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 442nd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 34,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 38% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Time Management, Mathematics, Speaking, Active Listening
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks (1h 20m touched, $49k median pay)
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (1h 58m touched, $51k median pay)
• Correspondence Clerks (3h 57m touched, $47k median pay)
• Billing and Posting Clerks (4h 19m touched, $49k median pay)
• Bill and Account Collectors (2h 38m touched, $47k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 8 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.