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 9.4/10 Very high strict reading, with tools is 9.4/10 with-tools reading, strict is 2.3/10
- Wage exposure
- £1.05bn £4.30bn
Higher exposure than 84% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means.
A few tasks in this role are within reach of AI, mostly paperwork, scheduling and routine writing. The shape of the role stays the same, and some parts get faster.
If you are in this role
Pick the two or three most repetitive things in your week and try a model on them. Most people underestimate what Claude or ChatGPT already does with admin-shaped work. The time you get back is the gain.
Almost every routine task in this role is within reach of today's models. Roles like this are being rebuilt, usually not by disappearing but by one person using AI to produce what several did.
If you are in this role
Be the person doing the rebuilding. People who learn to run this kind of work with AI become very valuable, and the ones who wait tend to have the change made for them.
Where the work usually starts.
These are the most important tasks a language model can already handle directly. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around them, so they stop eating the 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.
These are the most important tasks AI can already handle when paired with the right tools and context. The first wins usually come from building workflows around them. That is the difference between a model that could do the job and one that actually does it inside your business.
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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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Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
Every role has three or four places like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days.
Every task in the role.
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can do unaided and what still needs a person. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central each task is.
Tasks via O*NET "Online Merchants" (13-1199.06).
What AI can already do
13 of 34 tasks, unaided
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.
What still needs a person
21 of 34 tasks
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.
Tasks via O*NET "Online Merchants" (13-1199.06).
What AI can already do
31 of 34 tasks, with tools
Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
Design customer interface of online storefront, using web programming or e-commerce software.
Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
Determine and set product prices.
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.
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.
Calculate revenue, sales, and expenses, using financial accounting or spreadsheet software.
Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.
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.
Transfer digital media, such as music, video, or software, to customers via the Internet.
Determine location for product listings to maximize exposure to online traffic.
Create or maintain database of customer accounts.
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.
Devise, select, or purchase domain name and web address.
Initiate online auctions through auction hosting sites or auction management software.
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.
Implement security practices to preserve assets, minimize liabilities, or ensure customer privacy, using parallel servers, hardware redundancy, fail-safe technology, information encryption, or firewalls.
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.
Disclose merchant information and terms and policies of transactions in online or offline materials.
Create or distribute offline promotional material, such as brochures, pamphlets, business cards, stationary, or signage.
What still needs a person
3 of 34 tasks
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.
Maintain inventory of shipping supplies, such as boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, loose packing materials, or tape guns.
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Related occupations.
Other roles in Professional occupations, and roles close by exposure.
What it means for your sector.
This role's score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 task labels, weighted by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 through ISCO-08 (the ONS coding index) and US SOC 2010 (the BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional, which covers employees only.
Back to the mapMethodologySources (PDF)Built 29 April 2026
Pictures
- "Census pantograph and 1930s keypunches" by U.S. Census Bureau employees, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Shepard Barclay, St. Louis lawyer, in his office" by Missouri Historical Society via DPLA, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Accountant's Office LCCN2016824374" by National Photo Company Collection, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Employment service in Oulu in the spring 1931" by Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons