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AI exposure Management

Will AI replace purchasing managers?

Purchasing Managers. US occupation 11-3061.

20.0%

of the time purchasing managers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of purchasing managers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 119 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 84% of them.Further along than 84% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for purchasing managersWhat purchasing managers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 18 tasks for purchasing managers. 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.

  1. Administer online purchasing systems.Core task mostly automated 0.98
  2. Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.Core task mostly automated 0.97
  3. Prepare reports regarding market conditions and merchandise costs.Core task mostly automated 0.91
  4. Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.Core task mostly automated 0.90

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

14 of the 18 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Analyze market and delivery systems to assess present and future material availability.Core task
  • Arrange for disposal of surplus materials.Core task
  • Control purchasing department budgets.Core task
  • Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.Core task
  • Develop cost reduction strategies and savings plans.Core task
  • Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.Core task
Show the other 8
  • Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.Core task
  • Maintain records of goods ordered and received.Core task
  • Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials.Core task
  • Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.Core task
  • Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.Core task
  • Represent companies in negotiating contracts and formulating policies with suppliers.Core task
  • Resolve vendor or contractor grievances and claims against suppliers.Core task
  • Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.Core task

How that compares

Among the 35 management occupations, purchasing managers rank 5. The group averages 9.8%, and its most exposed job is Financial Managers at 39.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 116Food Science Technicians 20.4%
  2. 117Librarians and Media Collections Specialists 20.3%
  3. 118Loan Interviewers and Clerks 20.2%

Just below

  1. 120Computer Network Architects 19.9%
  2. 120Radiologists 19.9%
  3. 122Photographers 19.5%

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.