Career Explorer Business and finance
Changing shape
Labor relations specialists
Resolve disputes between workers and managers, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, or coordinate grievance procedures to handle employee complaints.
Changing faster than most: more resilient than 39% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.1% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and creative vision.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $95,420
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.1%
- Openings a year
- 4,800
- People doing it (2025)
- 66,300
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- Investigate criminal or legal matters
- Advise others on business or operational matters
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Negotiate contracts or agreements
- Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards
- Analyze business or financial risks
What the work looks like
- Negotiate collective bargaining agreements.
- Investigate and evaluate union complaints or arguments to determine viability.
- Propose resolutions for collective bargaining or other labor or contract negotiations.
- Draft contract proposals or counter-proposals for collective bargaining or other labor negotiations.
- Interpret contractual agreements for employers and employees engaged in collective bargaining or other labor relations processes.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- FundraisersGrows with AI, Index 53, +5.5%
- Buyers and purchasing agentsGrows with AI, Index 41, +6.0%
- Management analystsGrows with AI, Index 49, +10.1%
- Fundraising managersGrows with AI, Index 48, +5.4%
Also known as: Business Agent, Business Representative, Labor Relations Specialist, Labor Specialist, Grievance Manager.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.