UK AI Exposure · Professional occupations
Business, research and administrative professionals n.e.c.
Job holders in this unit group advise on the formulation and implementation of policy in the public and private sectors, develop and implement substantial business, statistical and administrative systems, and perform a variety of functions not elsewhere classified in minor group 243: Business, research and administrative professionals.
- Employees (UK)
- 83k
- Median annual pay
- £55,106
- Exposure score ?
- 2.3/10 Low direct 2.3 · with tools 9.4
- Wage exposure
- £1.05bn
Higher exposure than 84% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means
A handful of tasks in this role are touchable by AI, mostly around paperwork, scheduling and basic writing. The shape of the role stays the same - some parts just get faster.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
Pick the two or three most repetitive things in your week and try an LLM on them. Most people underestimate what Claude or ChatGPT can already do for admin-shaped work. The time you get back is the dividend.
The tasks in this role, ranked by AI exposure
Below are the real tasks O*NET records for this occupation, sorted highest exposure first. "AI can do this" means a language model can already handle the task directly. "AI can help" means an LLM can assist but not replace. "Human work" means today's AI doesn't touch it. Importance is O*NET's 1–5 rating of how central each task is to the role.
13 of 34 tasks in this role are things an AI can already do today. Task list mapped via O*NET "Online Merchants" (13-1199.06).
Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
Design customer interface of online storefront, using web programming or e-commerce software.
Calculate purchase subtotals, taxes, and shipping costs for submission to customers.
Compose descriptions of merchandise for posting to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
Calculate revenue, sales, and expenses, using financial accounting or spreadsheet software.
Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.
Transfer digital media, such as music, video, or software, to customers via the Internet.
Create or maintain database of customer accounts.
Devise, select, or purchase domain name and web address.
Initiate online auctions through auction hosting sites or auction management software.
Implement security practices to preserve assets, minimize liabilities, or ensure customer privacy, using parallel servers, hardware redundancy, fail-safe technology, information encryption, or firewalls.
Disclose merchant information and terms and policies of transactions in online or offline materials.
Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
Determine and set product prices.
Compose images of products, using video or still cameras, lighting equipment, props, or photo or video editing software.
Upload digital media, such as photos, video, or scanned images to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
Order or purchase merchandise to maintain optimal inventory levels.
Select and purchase technical web services, such as web hosting services, online merchant accounts, shopping cart software, payment gateway software, or spyware.
Determine location for product listings to maximize exposure to online traffic.
Promote products in online communities through weblog or discussion-forum postings, e-mail marketing programs, or online advertising.
Collaborate with search engine shopping specialists to place marketing content in desired online locations.
Investigate products or markets to determine areas for opportunity or viability for merchandising specific products, using online or offline sources.
Maintain inventory of shipping supplies, such as boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, loose packing materials, or tape guns.
Measure and analyze Web site usage data to maximize search engine returns or refine customer interfaces.
Develop or revise business plans for online business, emphasizing factors such as product line, pricing, inventory, or marketing strategy.
Investigate sources, such as auctions, estate sales, liquidators, wholesalers, or trade shows for new items, used items, or collectibles.
Participate in online forums or conferences to stay abreast of online retailing trends, techniques, or security threats.
Integrate online retailing strategy with physical or catalogue retailing operations.
Create or distribute offline promotional material, such as brochures, pamphlets, business cards, stationary, or signage.
Where a project with Alex usually starts for this role
These are the highest-importance tasks in this role that a language model can already handle directly. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around these, so they stop eating your team's time.
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Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
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Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
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Design customer interface of online storefront, using web programming or e-commerce software.
Every role has three or four wedges like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days. Talk to Alex about a project →
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Methodology
This role's exposure score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 GPT task labels, aggregated by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 via ISCO-08 (ONS Vol 2 coding index) and US SOC 2010 (BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional. ASHE covers employees only, so self-employed workers are not counted.
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