AI exposure Sales
Will AI replace first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers?
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers. US occupation 41-1012.
The reading
23.0%
of the time first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 103 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 86% of them.Further along than 86% 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 first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workersWhat first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 18 tasks for first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers. AI use at work shows up in 4 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.
- Listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel.Core task mostly automated 1.00
- Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.Core task mostly automated 1.00
- Examine merchandise to ensure correct pricing and display, and that it functions as advertised. mostly automated 0.99
- Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.Core task automated and assisted 0.79
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
14 of the 18 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with other departments.Core task
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.Core task
- Hire, train, and evaluate personnel.Core task
- Keep records pertaining to purchases, sales, and requisitions.Core task
- Plan and prepare work schedules, and assign employees to specific duties.Core task
- Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.Core task
Show the other 8
- Analyze details of sales territories to assess their growth potential and to set quotas.
- Coordinate sales promotion activities, such as preparing merchandise displays and advertising copy.
- Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to determine product condition.
- Formulate pricing policies on merchandise according to profitability requirements.
- Inventory stock and reorder when inventories drop to specified levels.
- Prepare rental or lease agreements, specifying charges and payment procedures for use of machinery, tools, or other items.
- Prepare sales and inventory reports for management and budget departments.
- Visit retailers and sales representatives to promote products and gather information.
How that compares
Among the 20 sales occupations, first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers rank 12. The group averages 23.6%, and its most exposed job is Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products at 62.8%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 100Credit Counselors 23.4%
- 100Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants 23.4%
- 102Public Relations Managers 23.2%
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.