AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 43-4071.00
Will AI replace File Clerks?
File Clerks: AI can already handle 15 of 19 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 19 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for File Clerks, from most to least exposed. 15 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users. | Observed | Standard | |
| Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order. | Observed | Standard | |
| Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers and generate computerized reports. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Track materials removed from files to ensure that borrowed files are returned. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Eliminate outdated or unnecessary materials, destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage, according to file maintenance guidelines or legal requirements. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Answer questions about records or files. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Assign and record or stamp identification numbers or codes to index materials for filing. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Place materials into storage receptacles, such as file cabinets, boxes, bins, or drawers, according to classification and identification information. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Retrieve documents stored in microfilm or microfiche and place them in viewers for reading. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate mechanized files that rotate to bring needed records to a particular location. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Modify or improve filing systems or implement new filing systems. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Complete general financial activities, such as processing accounts payable, reviewing invoices, collecting cash payments, or issuing receipts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Design forms related to filing systems. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Input data, such as file numbers, new or updated information, or document information codes into computer systems to support document and information retrieval. | Observed | Standard | |
| Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Perform periodic inspections of materials or files to ensure correct placement, legibility, or proper condition. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 4 of 19 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 19. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 91% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 73,440
- Median annual wage
- $43,600
- Middle half of earners
- $36,420 to $51,770
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -15.9%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Office Clerks, General 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure53
- Order Clerks 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure43
- Word Processors and Typists 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure73
- Court, Municipal, and License Clerks 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure65
- Library Assistants, Clerical 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure37
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about File Clerks and AI
Will AI replace File Clerks?
AI already handles 15 of the 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 69 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -15.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of File Clerks?
69 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 4 of the 19 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which File Clerks tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed; Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users; Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order. They are three of the 15 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 91% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as File Clerks, and what do they earn?
73,440 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $43,600 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -15.9% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: File Clerks. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/file-clerks
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