Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
Also called: Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator (ADR Coordinator), Arbitrator, Labor Arbitrator, MediatorFacilitate negotiation and conflict resolution through dialogue. Resolve conflicts outside of the court system by mutual consent of parties involved.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 13 of its 20 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.7% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 50% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $76,810 | $49,220 to $88,510 | 40 |
| Arizona | $82,150 | $65,410 to $100,440 | 160 |
| California | $97,680 | $75,170 to $121,670 | not published |
| Colorado | $82,590 | $64,870 to $98,780 | 30 |
| District of Columbia | $110,300 | $86,440 to $126,410 | 150 |
| Illinois | $162,410 | $83,990 to $163,190 | 80 |
| Indiana | $57,390 | $55,230 to $82,990 | 60 |
| Kansas | $64,970 | $48,730 to $76,400 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $46,100 | $33,660 to $52,830 | 80 |
| Maryland | $58,890 | $49,110 to $97,640 | 80 |
| Michigan | $76,270 | $66,700 to $109,700 | 190 |
| Missouri | not published | not published | 70 |
| Montana | $64,980 | $44,450 to $82,460 | 40 |
| New Mexico | $110,180 | $68,060 to $155,670 | 40 |
| New York | $70,800 | $48,450 to $102,170 | 1,050 |
| North Carolina | $75,320 | $59,960 to $86,760 | 100 |
| Ohio | $68,790 | $47,110 to $104,300 | 130 |
| Oklahoma | $36,780 | $33,440 to $45,890 | not published |
| Pennsylvania | $67,890 | $57,900 to $84,070 | 310 |
| Puerto Rico | $50,960 | $42,510 to $54,220 | 70 |
| Rhode Island | $63,770 | $63,770 to $74,090 | not published |
| South Carolina | $58,990 | $47,960 to $68,180 | 70 |
| Tennessee | $62,140 | $55,290 to $79,180 | 50 |
| Texas | $50,940 | $41,090 to $64,340 | not published |
| Virginia | $79,530 | $61,230 to $98,990 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | not published | not published | 260 |
Nationally: $75,530. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 13 of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Prepare written opinions or decisions regarding cases. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Apply relevant laws, regulations, policies, or precedents to reach conclusions. | 0.05% |
| Not much | Conduct hearings to obtain information or evidence relative to disposition of claims. | Not published |
| Not much | Rule on exceptions, motions, or admissibility of evidence. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with disputants to clarify issues, identify underlying concerns, and develop an understanding of their respective needs and interests. | Not published |
| Not much | Use mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives, and to guide parties toward mutual agreement. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| AI + software | Conduct initial meetings with disputants to outline the arbitration process, settle procedural matters, such as fees, or determine details, such as witness numbers or time requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine extent of liability according to evidence, laws, or administrative or judicial precedents. | Not published |
| AI + software | Issue subpoenas or administer oaths to prepare for formal hearings. | Not published |
| AI alone | Evaluate information from documents, such as claim applications, birth or death certificates, or physician or employer records. | Not published |
| AI + software | Set up appointments for parties to meet for mediation. | Not published |
| AI + software | Research laws, regulations, policies, or precedent decisions to prepare for hearings. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Recommend acceptance or rejection of compromise settlement offers. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Prepare settlement agreements for disputants to sign. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Authorize payment of valid claims. | Not published |
| AI + software | Organize or deliver public presentations about mediation to organizations, such as community agencies or schools. | Not published |
| AI + software | Interview claimants, agents, or witnesses to obtain information about disputed issues. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct studies of appeals procedures to ensure adherence to legal requirements or to facilitate disposition of cases. | Not published |
| Not much | Specialize in the negotiation and resolution of environmental conflicts involving issues such as natural resource allocation or regional development planning. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in court proceedings. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #48 Research laws, precedents, or other legal data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consult legal materials or public records | |||
| Make legal decisions | |||
| Research laws, precedents, or other legal data | |||
| Prepare legal or regulatory documents | |||
| Discuss legal matters with clients, disputants, or legal professionals or staff | |||
| Mediate disputes | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Investigate criminal or legal matters |
Show all 15 activities
| Advise others on legal or regulatory matters | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Perform court-related or other legal administrative activities | |||
| Record information about legal matters | |||
| Authorize business activities or transactions | |||
| Present information in legal proceedings | |||
| Direct legal activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report42%
- An explanation or answer24%
- An analysis or summary16%
- Advice or a recommendation4%
- An email or message4%
How they worked with Claude
55% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 6,852 moves out
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 19%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 10,557 moves in
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 11%
- 2 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 8%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 4%
- 5 Teacher Assistants (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% less than high school
- 5% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 11% post-bachelor's certificate
- 11% master's
- 11% post-master's certificate
- 37% professional doctorate
- 5% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
3 programs: Law, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution and Dispute Resolution.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/23-1022.00