Will AI replace telemarketers?

Parts of the job are being automated. About 4h 19m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots already do largely on their own. The rest still needs a person. The other 3h 41m (46%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 21.4% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 4 of 12 tasks, about 4h 19m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes. (2h 2m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers. (1h 9m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers. (53m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Schedule appointments for sales representatives to meet with prospective customers or for customers to attend sales presentations. (15m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

3h 41m of a typical shift, or 46%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. The biggest:

• Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service or to make a donation. (1h 16m a shift)
• Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted. (38m a shift)
• Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements. (38m a shift)
• Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders. (23m a shift)
• Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts. (23m a shift)

The median pay is about $35,450 a year ($17.04 an hour), 30% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Source: BLS, May 2025.

BLS projects a decline of 21.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 48,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 5,800 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 58,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.04% of all workers (BLS, May 2025).

High school diploma, some training. O*NET rates this job at level 2 of 5 for preparation.

Based on official skill ratings and the tasks that stay with people:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Persuasion, Speaking, Service Orientation, Active Listening
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 41m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots:

• Advertising Sales Agents (1h 35m touched, $65k median pay)
• New Accounts Clerks (2h 19m touched, $48k median pay)
• Receptionists and Information Clerks (3h 40m touched, $38k median pay)
• Counter and Rental Clerks (1h 30m touched, $41k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 4 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.