Procurement clerks
SOC Code: 43-3061
Procurement clerks carries a 71% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $48,510 and -8.7% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 61,900 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 71% AI exposure, Procurement clerks sits 34 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 98% of them. It is one of just 21 occupations above the 70% high-exposure line.
Career outlook score
15/100
Procurement 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 F $48,510
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -8.7%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 71% 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 Procurement 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 Procurement 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 Procurement clerks sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
71% Higher than most higher than 98% 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.
Procurement clerks vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Procurement 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
Procurement 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 43-3061) 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 Procurement 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 Procurement 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. Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
- 2. Perform buying duties when necessary.
- 3. Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.
- 4. Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts.
- 5. Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.
- 6. Approve and pay bills.
- 7. Maintain knowledge of all organizational and governmental rules affecting purchases, and provide information about these rules to organization staff members and to vendors.
- 8. Determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary.
- 9. Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications.
- 10. Contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other problems.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- English Language
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
- Economics and Accounting
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Transportation
- Public Safety and Security
- Production and Processing
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Procurement clerks?
Procurement clerks has an AI exposure score of 71%, 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 Procurement clerks?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Procurement clerks is projected to decline by 8.7% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 61,900 workers.
What skills are needed for Procurement clerks?
Key skills for Procurement clerks include Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Procurement clerks earn?
The median annual wage for Procurement clerks is $48,510, 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 Procurement clerks?
The typical entry-level education for Procurement 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 Procurement clerks?
Procurement 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 Procurement 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 (71% here).
- Tax preparers · AI exposure 71%
- Compliance officers · AI exposure 69%
- Insurance claims and policy processing clerks · AI exposure 69%
- Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other · AI exposure 69%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-8.7% here).
- Gas plant operators · growth -8.8%
- Helpers--production workers · growth -8.9%
- Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators · growth -8.4%
- Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders · growth -9.0%
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 Procurement clerks' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Procurement 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).