Jobs in call centers and business support have an average Still needs a human score of 59.8 out of 100 (higher is safer), 14.2 points below the average for all jobs of 74.0 and 37th of 37 among the sectors (1st is least exposed). The largest job here is customer service representatives (215,000 workers, 51/100 ↑ safer).
59.8/100↑ safer
49.8%
20.8%
−2.9%
How the work here could shift
The share of workers in this sector whose job would sit in each band, from today to 2060.
Today
4%
of workers in this sector are in jobs that mostly need a person (our top band, Nah.)
0% are in jobs AI could largely do (Largely.)
By 2045
0%
of workers in this sector would still be in jobs that mostly need a person (our top band, Nah.)
93% would be in jobs AI could largely do (Largely.)
By 2060
0%
of workers in this sector would still be in jobs that mostly need a person (our top band, Nah.)
99% would be in jobs AI could largely do (Largely.)
Each job's score moves towards the bottom band (Largely: AI could largely do the job) by the year it could be largely automated, slowly at first and faster later, as adoption usually goes. Each job is run as ten scenarios across its replacement range, so every figure mixes early and late outcomes. The model stops at 2060. How the timeline works
Will AI replace the job?Largely.Mostly.Partly.A little.Nah.
Show the data
| Year | Largely | Mostly | Partly | A little | Nah |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today (2026) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 48.0% | 48.5% | 3.5% |
| 2030 | 0.0% | 22.8% | 61.8% | 14.3% | 1.1% |
| 2035 | 43.1% | 39.3% | 14.5% | 2.7% | 0.4% |
| 2040 | 80.2% | 15.6% | 3.3% | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| 2045 | 93.3% | 5.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2050 | 97.4% | 1.9% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2055 | 99.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2060 | 99.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
The largest jobs in call centers and business support
| # | Job | Still needs a human | Evidence | Could be largely automated | Workers in the sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customer Service Representatives | 51↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2041 | 215,100 |
| 2 | Bill and Account Collectors | 60↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2035–2045 | 40,000 |
| 3 | Telemarketers | 53↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2042 | 37,500 |
| 4 | First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 67↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2035–2047 | 28,900 |
| 5 | Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 54↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2042 | 22,300 |
| 6 | General and Operations Managers | 72↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2036–2051 | 22,100 |
| 7 | Counter and Rental Clerks | 65↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2035–2049 | 15,700 |
| 8 | Computer User Support Specialists | 62↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2034–2045 | 12,900 |
| 9 | Office Clerks, General | 65↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2035–2053 | 12,400 |
| 10 | Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service | 82↑ saferAI replace? Nah. | D | 2037–2060+ | 12,100 |
Common jobs here that AI can do most of
| # | Job | Still needs a human | Evidence | Could be largely automated | Workers in the sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customer Service Representatives | 51↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2041 | 215,100 |
| 2 | Telemarketers | 53↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2042 | 37,500 |
| 3 | Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 54↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2042 | 22,300 |
| 4 | Medical Records Specialists | 56↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2039–2049 | 3,100 |
| 5 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 57↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2034–2044 | 1,800 |
| 6 | Order Clerks | 59↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2035–2044 | 3,400 |
| 7 | Computer Systems Analysts | 59↑ saferAI replace? Partly.workers of 2 related jobs | D | 2033–2042 | 1,800 |
| 8 | Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service | 59↑ saferAI replace? Partly. | D | 2035–2045 | 6,600 |
| 9 | Medical Transcriptionists | 60↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2043–2053 | 11,200 |
| 10 | Receptionists and Information Clerks | 60↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2035–2047 | 2,500 |
Common jobs here that most need a human
| # | Job | Still needs a human | Evidence | Could be largely automated | Workers in the sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 84↑ saferAI replace? Nah.workers of 2 related jobs | D | 2044–2060+ | 3,500 |
| 2 | Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 83↑ saferAI replace? Nah. | D | 2046–2060+ | 1,300 |
| 3 | Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service | 82↑ saferAI replace? Nah. | D | 2037–2060+ | 12,100 |
| 4 | Light Truck Drivers | 80↑ saferAI replace? Nah. | D | 2044–2060+ | 1,400 |
| 5 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 79↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2044–2060+ | 1,700 |
| 6 | Stockers and Order Fillers | 79↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2044–2060+ | 1,000 |
| 7 | Office Machine Operators, Except Computer | 78↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2036–2060+ | 4,200 |
| 8 | Printing Press Operators | 77↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2046–2060+ | 2,600 |
| 9 | Cashiers | 74↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2036–2060+ | 2,700 |
| 10 | General and Operations Managers | 72↑ saferAI replace? A little. | D | 2036–2051 | 22,100 |
Related sectors: Administrative, support, and waste services, Software and IT services, Banking
How this is worked out
- The average weights every job's Still needs a human score by how many people do it in this sector, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' industry employment data. Jobs cover 95.6% of the sector's employment.
- Job scores are national: an accountant in retail scores the same as an accountant anywhere. The sector figure reflects its mix of jobs, not how its employers use AI; the Census figure shows that.