Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping
SOC Code: 43-4161
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping carries a 60% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $49,440 and -7.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 95,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 60% AI exposure, Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping sits 23 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 94% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
18/100
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping, 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 F $49,440
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -7.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 60% 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 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Associate / award entry with a named growth shelf
Entry credential Associate / award covers 99 of 832 occupations; BLS places this one in Declining (111/832). Mid-credential standing - thicker than graduate shelves, thinner than HS-dominated mass.
Where Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
60% Higher than most higher than 94% 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.
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping 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
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping's 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 in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
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 43-4161) 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 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping 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 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence.
- 2. Record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations.
- 3. Interview job applicants to obtain and verify information used to screen and evaluate them.
- 4. Explain company personnel policies, benefits, and procedures to employees or job applicants.
- 5. Process and review employment applications to evaluate qualifications or eligibility of applicants.
- 6. Inform job applicants of their acceptance or rejection of employment.
- 7. Provide assistance in administering employee benefit programs and worker's compensation plans.
- 8. Select applicants meeting specified job requirements and refer them to hiring personnel.
- 9. Answer questions regarding examinations, eligibility, salaries, benefits, and other pertinent information.
- 10. Prepare and set up for new employee orientations.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Time Management
- Active Learning
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Communications and Media
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping?
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping has an AI exposure score of 60%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping is projected to decline by 7.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 95,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping?
Key skills for Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Associate's degree.
How much do Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping earn?
The median annual wage for Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping is $49,440, 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 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping?
The typical entry-level education for Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping is Associate's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping?
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping 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
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 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (60% here).
- Cargo and freight agents · AI exposure 60%
- Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks · AI exposure 60%
- Data entry keyers · AI exposure 60%
- Eligibility interviewers, government programs · AI exposure 60%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-7.1% here).
- Drafters, all other · growth -6.9%
- Library technicians · growth -6.8%
- Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders · growth -6.8%
- Library assistants, clerical · growth -6.7%
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 24 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping's numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping 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).