Will AI replace file clerks?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 43m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 6h 17m (79%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 15.8% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 19 tasks, about 1h 43m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Input data, such as file numbers, new or updated information, or document information codes into computer systems to support document and information retrieval. (1h 15m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Answer questions about records or files. (27m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 12 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

6h 17m of a typical shift, or 79%, 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:

• Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials. (1h 2m a shift)
• Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order. (55m a shift)
• Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users. (48m a shift)
• Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary. (34m a shift)
• Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed. (34m 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:

• 78% talk face to face with others every day
• 70% are in constant contact with other people
• 68% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

For the 2 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 1h 46m for a person alone and about 14m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Input data, such as file numbers, new or updated information, or document information codes into computer systems to support document and information retrieval (about 2h 22m alone, 14m with AI)
• Answer questions about records or files (about 1h 10m alone, 14m with AI)

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 5,600 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 $43,600 a year ($20.96 an hour), 14% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $31,200 and $63,490 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 15.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 64,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 5,600 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 73,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.05% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 321st largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 64,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is an associate's degree: about 38% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. 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: Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Writing, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 17m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat
• 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:

• Data Entry Keyers (4h 18m touched, $41k median pay)
• Correspondence Clerks (3h 57m touched, $47k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 17 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.