Will production clerks be replaced by AI?
Updated
Production clerks score 63 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 70%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over the other 30% outright.
- 30% AI can do it
- 70% AI helps
High exposure
Higher than 94% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 17 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 6 of them today, speeds up 11 and leaves 0 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Compile information, such as production rates and progress, materials inventories, materials used, or customer information, so that status reports can be completed. Pulling production and inventory data into status reports is routine. | 82% AI can do it |
| Calculate figures, such as required amounts of labor or materials, manufacturing costs, or wages, using pricing schedules, adding machines, calculators, or computers. Calculating labor, material, and cost figures suits AI tools well. | 81% AI can do it |
| Record production data, including volume produced, consumption of raw materials, or quality control measures. Logging production volumes and QC readings is structured data entry. | 78% AI can do it |
| Compile and prepare documentation related to production sequences, transportation, personnel schedules, or purchase, maintenance, or repair orders. Generating production and purchase paperwork from data is highly automatable. | 76% AI can do it |
| Distribute production schedules or work orders to departments. Routing schedules and work orders is mostly digital distribution. | 74% AI can do it |
| Maintain files, such as maintenance records, bills of lading, or cost reports. Filing and retrieving records is digital work AI handles readily. | 70% AI can do it |
| Provide documentation and information to account for delays, difficulties, or changes to cost estimates. Drafting variance explanations from data suits AI; people verify causes. | 64% AI helps |
| Review documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities. Reviewing documents for material needs suits AI with oversight. | 58% AI helps |
| Establish and prepare product construction directions and locations and information on required tools, materials, equipment, numbers of workers needed, and cost projections. Drafting work instructions from specs suits AI, engineers still review. | 57% AI helps |
| Plan production commitments or timetables for business units, specific programs, or jobs, using sales forecasts. Planning from sales forecasts is analytical work AI speeds up. | 56% AI helps |
Show the other 7 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Requisition and maintain inventories of materials or supplies necessary to meet production demands. Requisitions run through ERP, but physical stock checks stay human. | 55% AI helps |
| Contact suppliers to verify shipment details. Supplier shipment checks mostly involve email and portal lookups. | 52% AI helps |
| Revise production schedules when required due to design changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with management, marketing, sales, production, or engineering. AI can draft revised schedules, but negotiation stays with people. | 45% AI helps |
| Arrange for delivery, assembly, or distribution of supplies or parts to expedite flow of materials and meet production schedules. Arranging deliveries mixes software ordering with physical coordination. | 40% AI helps |
| Examine documents, materials, or products and monitor work processes to assess completeness, accuracy, and conformance to standards and specifications. Document checks suit AI, but physical product inspection stays human. | 35% AI helps |
| Confer with establishment personnel, vendors, or customers to coordinate production or shipping activities and to resolve complaints or eliminate delays. Stakeholder calls and complaint handling need live human judgement. | 33% AI helps |
| Confer with department supervisors or other personnel to assess progress and discuss needed changes. Live supervisor meetings need people, though AI can prep summaries. | 22% AI helps |
How production clerks compare
All occupations (923)
Office and administrative support (51)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $59,650 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 390,160 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -1.3% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Build status reports in Microsoft Excel from production data
- Run schedule revisions in SAP software during material shortages
- Hold progress meetings with department supervisors on completion dates
- Verify shipment details with suppliers by phone and email
- Inspect incoming materials against specifications before sign-off
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about production clerks and AI
Will AI replace production clerks?
Partly. About 6 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly compiling status reports and calculating labor and cost figures. Supervisor meetings, supplier calls and negotiated schedule changes stay with people because they need live judgement and agreement.
Which production clerk tasks is AI taking over?
Compiling status reports from production and inventory data scores 82 on exposure, the highest in this job. Calculating labor, material and cost figures scores 81 because pricing schedules are structured inputs that software processes quickly. Recording production volumes and quality readings scores 78 and is structured data entry.
Which production clerk tasks stay human?
Conferring with department supervisors scores only 22 on exposure, the lowest in this job. Live meetings need a person to read progress, weigh delays and agree changes. Calls with vendors and customers to resolve delays score 33 for the same reason, because settling problems takes live negotiation.
How can production clerks stay valuable?
Take on the supplier calls that verify shipment details, which score 52 and still need phone follow-up. Lead schedule revisions when shortages force a new plan, using SAP software to rebuild the schedule and then negotiating changes with sales and production. Physically check incoming parts against specifications, since product inspection stays human.
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