Financial managers
SOC Code: 11-3031
Financial managers carries a 81% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $161,700 and +14.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 868,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 81% AI exposure, Financial managers sits 44 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - among the most AI-exposed occupations tracked. It is one of just 21 occupations above the 70% high-exposure line.
Career outlook score
69/100
Financial managers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $161,700
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +14.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 81% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Financial managers in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's bar with above-average BLS growth
Financial managers sits in the Bachelor's entry band (178 of 832 occupations) and the Much faster pace bucket (31 of 832). That pairing is rarer than the HS / some-college + declining cluster that dominates the BLS map - treat the degree bar as the binding gate while the growth line stays supportive.
Where Financial managers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Financial managers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
81% Higher than most higher than 99% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Financial managers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Financial managers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Financial managers's Very High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score above 70% signals that the majority of core duties are already technically automatable, workers in these roles face the steepest near-term displacement pressure.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 11-3031) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Financial managers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Financial managers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Manage investment funds to maximize return on client investments.
- 2. Select specific investments or investment mixes for purchase by an investment fund.
- 3. Monitor financial or operational performance of individual investments to ensure portfolios meet risk goals.
- 4. Evaluate needs for procurement of funds and investment of surpluses and make appropriate recommendations.
- 5. Delegate authority for the receipt, disbursement, banking, protection, and custody of funds, securities, and financial instruments.
- 6. Select or direct the execution of trades.
- 7. Develop or implement fund investment policies or strategies.
- 8. Prepare and file annual tax returns or prepare financial information so that outside accountants can complete tax returns.
- 9. Develop and maintain relationships with banking, insurance, and external accounting personnel to facilitate financial activities.
- 10. Monitor financial activities and details, such as cash flow and reserve levels, to ensure that all legal and regulatory requirements are met.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
Knowledge Areas
- Economics and Accounting
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
- Sales and Marketing
- Education and Training
- Communications and Media
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Financial managers?
Financial managers has an AI exposure score of 81%, indicating a very high level of automation risk. Many tasks in this role involve routine data processing and pattern recognition that current AI systems can perform.
What is the job outlook for Financial managers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Financial managers is projected to grow by 14.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 868,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Financial managers?
Key skills for Financial managers include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Financial managers earn?
The median annual wage for Financial managers is $161,700, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Financial managers?
The typical entry-level education for Financial managers is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect 5 years or more of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Financial managers?
Financial managers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Very High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Financial managers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (81% here).
- Library assistants, clerical · AI exposure 80%
- Medical secretaries and administrative assistants · AI exposure 80%
- Word processors and typists · AI exposure 80%
- File clerks · AI exposure 79%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+14.8% here).
- Cooks, restaurant · growth +14.9%
- Health information technologists and medical registrars · growth +14.7%
- Speech-language pathologists · growth +15.0%
- Computer and information systems managers · growth +15.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 49 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Financial managers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Financial managers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).