Career Explorer Office and admin
Changing shape
Order clerks
Receive and process incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services such as repairs, installations, or rental of facilities. Generally receives orders via mail, phone, fax, or other electronic means. Duties include informing customers of receipt, prices, shipping dates, and delays; preparing contracts; and handling complaints.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 2% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by -17.5% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on emotional intelligence.
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)
- $46,170
- Job growth to 2035
- -17.5%
- Openings a year
- 6,300
- People doing it (2025)
- 78,900
- Usual route in
- Some college, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- Explain technical details of products or services
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Collect data about consumer needs or opinions
- Inspect completed work or finished products
- Monitor resources or inventories
What the work looks like
- Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
- Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
- Prepare invoices, shipping documents, and contracts.
- Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
- Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as establishments continue to adopt automated order-taking systems.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Customer service representativesChanging shape, Index 3, -5.3%
- Receptionists and information clerksChanging shape, Index 7, -1.7%
- Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeepingChanging shape, Index 4, -6.2%
- Medical secretaries and administrative assistantsGrows with AI, Index 16, +4.8%
Also known as: Materials Specialist, Order Clerk, Warehouse Clerk, Warehouse Person, Hub Associate, Order Analyst, Order Entry Administrator (Order Entry Admin), Order Entry Representative (Order Entry Rep).
Is this career on your child's list?
Build a free Career Playbook matched to your child, or get a 90-day Action Plan with dated next steps, written for your child by name.
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.