First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
Also called: Customer Service Supervisor, Reservations Supervisor, Sales Leader, Sales SupervisorDirectly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. May perform duties such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 18 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 0.5% 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
- In 2024, 1.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in wholesale trade, which employs about 28% 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.7.8 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 | $77,070 | $58,810 to $92,070 | 2,410 |
| Alaska | $83,900 | $65,930 to $99,800 | 540 |
| Arizona | $82,350 | $58,200 to $110,980 | 2,550 |
| Arkansas | $64,980 | $52,690 to $98,230 | 1,800 |
| California | $81,140 | $63,400 to $116,240 | 19,600 |
| Colorado | $110,450 | $81,940 to $158,760 | 8,230 |
| Connecticut | $78,950 | $60,490 to $110,550 | 1,430 |
| Delaware | $86,260 | $75,150 to $107,110 | 960 |
| District of Columbia | $88,420 | $77,440 to $128,130 | 580 |
| Florida | $81,650 | $61,160 to $107,130 | 15,120 |
| Georgia | $82,400 | $64,740 to $108,710 | 10,460 |
| Guam | $45,900 | $35,360 to $58,490 | 50 |
| Hawaii | $63,490 | $52,850 to $89,020 | 890 |
| Idaho | $78,200 | $60,460 to $91,910 | 970 |
| Illinois | $88,820 | $62,420 to $120,200 | 5,280 |
| Indiana | $84,650 | $67,750 to $106,130 | 3,820 |
| Iowa | $89,640 | $62,750 to $120,440 | 2,530 |
| Kansas | $74,220 | $59,460 to $97,970 | 840 |
| Kentucky | $73,320 | $59,200 to $92,830 | 2,090 |
| Louisiana | $73,700 | $56,630 to $101,280 | 1,840 |
| Maine | $82,910 | $65,980 to $106,190 | 820 |
| Maryland | $82,620 | $62,260 to $108,980 | 3,050 |
| Massachusetts | $115,150 | $84,500 to $147,950 | 5,490 |
| Michigan | $80,170 | $62,740 to $109,250 | 3,490 |
| Minnesota | $88,510 | $61,700 to $117,590 | 2,130 |
| Mississippi | $68,180 | $54,670 to $88,310 | 1,860 |
| Missouri | $79,440 | $57,300 to $121,300 | 2,910 |
| Montana | $77,030 | $60,550 to $97,640 | 660 |
| Nebraska | $82,980 | $68,260 to $117,770 | 1,870 |
| Nevada | $76,750 | $58,390 to $99,880 | 1,510 |
| New Hampshire | $97,470 | $72,730 to $132,910 | 1,460 |
| New Jersey | $99,030 | $81,170 to $132,980 | 10,370 |
| New Mexico | $75,540 | $60,050 to $100,110 | 880 |
| New York | $121,780 | $88,380 to $159,180 | 16,870 |
| North Carolina | $91,200 | $67,060 to $132,320 | 11,080 |
| North Dakota | $79,060 | $50,980 to $112,630 | 310 |
| Ohio | $81,720 | $59,920 to $113,400 | 5,980 |
| Oklahoma | $74,840 | $50,170 to $107,320 | 2,620 |
| Oregon | $80,460 | $62,900 to $99,090 | 2,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,870 | $64,500 to $102,560 | 5,930 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,260 | $35,160 to $62,420 | 1,270 |
| Rhode Island | $85,420 | $64,990 to $127,100 | 350 |
| South Carolina | $77,130 | $59,370 to $103,960 | 3,230 |
| South Dakota | $105,680 | $84,680 to $131,260 | 680 |
| Tennessee | $85,980 | $66,900 to $118,570 | 4,510 |
| Texas | $74,590 | $56,060 to $100,030 | 20,690 |
| Utah | $81,600 | $57,180 to $105,670 | 1,850 |
| Vermont | $81,850 | $73,370 to $88,180 | 200 |
| Virgin Islands | $77,520 | $62,000 to $81,600 | 40 |
| Virginia | $98,170 | $69,440 to $130,980 | 9,020 |
| Washington | $95,150 | $76,320 to $130,560 | 4,830 |
| West Virginia | $62,970 | $48,870 to $88,650 | 510 |
| Wisconsin | $91,980 | $74,290 to $117,160 | 4,930 |
| Wyoming | $80,230 | $73,970 to $112,220 | 260 |
Nationally: $87,520. 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 12 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Hire, train, and evaluate personnel. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan and prepare work schedules, and assign employees to specific duties. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with other departments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met. | Not published |
| AI alone | Listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel. | under 0.01% |
See all 18 tasks
| AI + software | Keep records pertaining to purchases, sales, and requisitions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare sales and inventory reports for management and budget departments. | Not published |
| AI alone | Formulate pricing policies on merchandise according to profitability requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Visit retailers and sales representatives to promote products and gather information. | Not published |
| AI alone | Coordinate sales promotion activities, such as preparing merchandise displays and advertising copy. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze details of sales territories to assess their growth potential and to set quotas. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Inventory stock and reorder when inventories drop to specified levels. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine merchandise to ensure correct pricing and display, and that it functions as advertised. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to determine product condition. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Prepare rental or lease agreements, specifying charges and payment procedures for use of machinery, tools, or other items. | under 0.01% |
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. 6 of the 18 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 18 tasks fall under 20 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.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #25 Communicate with others about specifications or project details
- and 1 more, in the table below
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Monitor financial data or activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Analyze market or industry conditions |
Show all 20 activities
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Develop business or marketing plans | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Assign work to others | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An email or message28%
- A plan or strategy20%
- A document or report19%
- Advice or a recommendation7%
- Data or a spreadsheet4%
How they worked with Claude
88% 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 first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers 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 111,548 moves out
- 1 Sales Managers High +4.5% 8%
- 2 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 6%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 6%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 102,439 moves in
- 1 Sales Managers High +4.5% 6%
- 2 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 6%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
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
- 16% high school
- 16% some college
- 10% associate's
- 45% bachelor's
- 13% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 27 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 21% high school
- 21% some college
- 9% associate's
- 32% bachelor's
- 9% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 10,265 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
3 programs: Selling Skills and Sales Operations, General Merchandising, Sales, and Related Marketing Operations, Other and Special Products Marketing Operations.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
46.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 9.6% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
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/41-1012.00