AI exposure Office and administrative support
Will AI replace file clerks?
File Clerks. US occupation 43-4071.
The reading
15.7%
of the time file clerks spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of file clerks' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 143 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 80% of them.Further along than 80% of them.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.
What AI already does for file clerksWhat file clerks no longer do alone
O*NET lists 19 tasks for file clerks. AI use at work shows up in 2 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.
- Input data, such as file numbers, new or updated information, or document information codes into computer systems to support document and information retrieval. mostly automated 1.00
- Answer questions about records or files.Core task mostly automated 0.95
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
17 of the 19 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.Core task
- Assign and record or stamp identification numbers or codes to index materials for filing.Core task
- Eliminate outdated or unnecessary materials, destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage, according to file maintenance guidelines or legal requirements.Core task
- Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users.Core task
- Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.Core task
- Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers and generate computerized reports.Core task
Show the other 11
- Modify or improve filing systems or implement new filing systems.Core task
- Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.Core task
- Place materials into storage receptacles, such as file cabinets, boxes, bins, or drawers, according to classification and identification information.Core task
- Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed.Core task
- Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.Core task
- Complete general financial activities, such as processing accounts payable, reviewing invoices, collecting cash payments, or issuing receipts.
- Design forms related to filing systems.
- Operate mechanized files that rotate to bring needed records to a particular location.
- Perform periodic inspections of materials or files to ensure correct placement, legibility, or proper condition.
- Retrieve documents stored in microfilm or microfiche and place them in viewers for reading.
- Track materials removed from files to ensure that borrowed files are returned.
How that compares
Among the 50 office and administrative support occupations, file clerks rank 26. The group averages 19.1%, and its most exposed job is Customer Service Representatives at 70.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 139Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers 16.5%
- 141Industrial-Organizational Psychologists 15.8%
- 141Physicians, Pathologists 15.8%
Just below
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.