Payroll and timekeeping clerks
SOC Code: 43-3051
Payroll and timekeeping clerks carries a 79% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $55,290 and -16.7% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 161,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 79% AI exposure, Payroll and timekeeping clerks sits 42 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
17/100
Payroll and timekeeping clerks, 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 D $55,290
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -16.7%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 79% 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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Payroll and timekeeping clerks sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Payroll and timekeeping clerks sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
79% 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.
Payroll and timekeeping clerks vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Payroll and timekeeping clerks 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
Payroll and timekeeping clerks'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 43-3051) 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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks 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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
- 2. Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
- 3. Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
- 4. Prepare and file payroll tax returns.
- 5. Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
- 6. Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
- 7. Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
- 8. Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
- 9. Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.
- 10. Issue and record adjustments to pay related to previous errors or retroactive increases.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Social Perceptiveness
Knowledge Areas
- Administrative
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Economics and Accounting
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Communications and Media
- Education and Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Payroll and timekeeping clerks?
Payroll and timekeeping clerks has an AI exposure score of 79%, 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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Payroll and timekeeping clerks is projected to decline by 16.7% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 161,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Payroll and timekeeping clerks?
Key skills for Payroll and timekeeping clerks include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Mathematics, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Payroll and timekeeping clerks earn?
The median annual wage for Payroll and timekeeping clerks is $55,290, 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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks?
The typical entry-level education for Payroll and timekeeping clerks is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Payroll and timekeeping clerks?
Payroll and timekeeping clerks 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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (79% here).
- File clerks · AI exposure 79%
- Loan interviewers and clerks · AI exposure 79%
- Order clerks · AI exposure 79%
- Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents · AI exposure 79%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-16.7% here).
- Structural metal fabricators and fitters · growth -16.3%
- Order clerks · growth -17.2%
- Print binding and finishing workers · growth -16.1%
- File clerks · growth -15.9%
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 Payroll and timekeeping clerks' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Payroll and timekeeping clerks 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).