Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
SOC Code: 41-4011
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products carries a 51% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $100,070 and +1.9% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 303,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 51% AI exposure, Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products sits 14 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 87% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
49/100
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products, 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 $100,070
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +1.9%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 51% 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 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Slow growth (245 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
51% Higher than most higher than 87% 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.
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products 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
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products'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 41-4011) 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 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products 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 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Prepare proposals, quotes, contracts, or presentations for potential solar customers.
- 2. Select solar energy products, systems, or services for customers based on electrical energy requirements, site conditions, price, or other factors.
- 3. Provide customers with information, such as quotes, orders, sales, shipping, warranties, credit, funding options, incentives, or tax rebates.
- 4. Gather information from prospective customers to identify their solar energy needs.
- 5. Calculate potential solar resources or solar array production for a particular site considering issues such as climate, shading, and roof orientation.
- 6. Generate solar energy customer leads to develop new accounts.
- 7. Provide technical information about solar power, solar systems, equipment, and services to potential customers or dealers.
- 8. Assess sites to determine suitability for solar equipment, using equipment such as tape measures, compasses, and computer software.
- 9. Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
- 10. Take quote requests or orders from dealers or customers.
Key Skills Required
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Persuasion
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Negotiation
- Writing
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- Design
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Building and Construction
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
- Economics and Accounting
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products?
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products has an AI exposure score of 51%, 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 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products is projected to grow by 1.9% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 303,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products?
Key skills for Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products include Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Persuasion, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products earn?
The median annual wage for Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products is $100,070, 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 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products?
The typical entry-level education for Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products is Bachelor's degree. 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 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products?
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products 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 moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (51% here).
- Financial specialists, all other · AI exposure 51%
- Market research analysts and marketing specialists · AI exposure 51%
- Radiologic technologists and technicians · AI exposure 51%
- Broadcast technicians · AI exposure 50%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+1.9% here).
- Industrial production managers · growth +1.9%
- Radiation therapists · growth +1.9%
- Cement masons and concrete finishers · growth +1.8%
- Computer network support specialists · growth +1.8%
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 12 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products 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).