Procurement Clerks
Also called: Buyer, Procurement Specialist, Purchasing Clerk, Purchasing SpecialistCompile information and records to draw up purchase orders for procurement of materials and services.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 13 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 8.1% 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, 1.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 22% 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.4.3 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 | $52,940 | $45,610 to $60,690 | 260 |
| Alaska | $54,100 | $50,270 to $66,540 | 230 |
| Arizona | $47,970 | $43,050 to $56,430 | 1,300 |
| Arkansas | $47,760 | $41,660 to $56,520 | 400 |
| California | $56,160 | $46,890 to $65,070 | 7,080 |
| Colorado | $55,210 | $48,430 to $61,850 | 830 |
| Connecticut | $50,510 | $41,540 to $59,660 | 710 |
| Delaware | $47,470 | $42,130 to $54,170 | 140 |
| District of Columbia | $62,880 | $53,140 to $74,300 | 220 |
| Florida | $48,710 | $43,010 to $54,950 | 2,890 |
| Georgia | $50,730 | $42,380 to $59,950 | 1,800 |
| Guam | $38,100 | $27,020 to $49,940 | 150 |
| Hawaii | $53,890 | $45,740 to $61,010 | 330 |
| Idaho | $50,310 | $43,780 to $58,850 | 470 |
| Illinois | $47,770 | $40,250 to $57,150 | 1,950 |
| Indiana | $49,210 | $42,060 to $56,460 | 1,110 |
| Iowa | $48,870 | $43,610 to $54,260 | 680 |
| Kansas | $47,730 | $39,690 to $56,350 | 430 |
| Kentucky | $50,610 | $43,400 to $58,840 | 810 |
| Louisiana | $49,680 | $43,400 to $58,420 | 760 |
| Maine | $53,070 | $47,380 to $61,930 | 320 |
| Maryland | $53,960 | $42,850 to $64,880 | 1,230 |
| Massachusetts | $60,110 | $51,910 to $63,570 | 520 |
| Michigan | $49,980 | $45,120 to $57,950 | 1,220 |
| Minnesota | $58,100 | $47,620 to $62,830 | 790 |
| Mississippi | $46,270 | $36,990 to $56,820 | 860 |
| Missouri | $48,820 | $40,700 to $58,280 | 630 |
| Montana | $49,560 | $42,330 to $55,430 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $47,950 | $42,500 to $56,900 | 910 |
| Nevada | $51,530 | $42,870 to $61,450 | 580 |
| New Hampshire | $58,830 | $51,210 to $66,640 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $57,460 | $48,750 to $63,560 | 2,370 |
| New Mexico | $51,080 | $44,870 to $60,700 | 460 |
| New York | $54,080 | $46,660 to $63,100 | 2,680 |
| North Carolina | $50,390 | $43,460 to $57,030 | 1,460 |
| North Dakota | $51,630 | $42,920 to $64,940 | 90 |
| Ohio | $49,880 | $44,280 to $58,330 | 1,350 |
| Oklahoma | $49,940 | $42,330 to $58,280 | 830 |
| Oregon | $52,700 | $46,040 to $61,410 | 510 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,800 | $46,570 to $61,780 | 2,360 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,940 | $26,000 to $40,230 | 670 |
| Rhode Island | $53,980 | $47,300 to $62,230 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $49,810 | $42,100 to $60,250 | 900 |
| South Dakota | $46,690 | $41,660 to $53,990 | 170 |
| Tennessee | $38,710 | $38,690 to $47,810 | 3,900 |
| Texas | $47,660 | $40,080 to $56,620 | 3,740 |
| Utah | $54,950 | $46,210 to $63,960 | 540 |
| Vermont | $47,960 | $45,680 to $57,360 | 90 |
| Virginia | $54,660 | $47,940 to $61,690 | 930 |
| Washington | $52,910 | $47,840 to $61,170 | 1,750 |
| West Virginia | $48,050 | $40,450 to $54,470 | 520 |
| Wisconsin | $49,410 | $45,140 to $56,870 | 1,050 |
| Wyoming | $50,380 | $47,020 to $59,950 | 120 |
Nationally: $50,580. 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 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform buying duties when necessary. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other problems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Respond to customer and supplier inquiries about order status, changes, or cancellations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Approve and pay bills. | Not published |
| Not much | Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications. | Not published |
| AI + software | Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Compare suppliers' bills with bids and purchase orders to verify accuracy. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Locate suppliers, using sources such as catalogs and the internet, and interview them to gather information about products to be ordered. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Review requisition orders to verify accuracy, terminology, and specifications. | Not published |
| AI alone | Monitor in-house inventory movement and complete inventory transfer forms for bookkeeping purposes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain knowledge of all organizational and governmental rules affecting purchases, and provide information about these rules to organization staff members and to vendors. | Not published |
| AI + software | Train and supervise subordinates and other staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor contractor performance, recommending contract modifications when necessary. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare invitation-of-bid forms, and mail forms to supplier firms or distribute forms for public posting. | 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. 4 of the 19 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 19 tasks fall under 18 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.
- #2 Obtain information about goods or services
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- and 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Process shipments or mail | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Obtain information about goods or services | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Purchase goods or services |
Show all 18 activities
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Analyze business or financial data | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation14%
- Data or a spreadsheet12%
- A document or report11%
- An email or message10%
- An analysis or summary9%
How they worked with Claude
59% 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 procurement clerks 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 18,826 moves out
- 1 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products 12%
- 2 Purchasing Managers Very high +4.0% 8%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 19,626 moves in
- 1 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products 7%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Purchasing Managers Very high +4.0% 5%
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
- 48% high school
- 17% some college
- 2% associate's
- 33% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 17% high school
- 23% some college
- 10% associate's
- 31% bachelor's
- 13% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 426 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
1 program: General Office Occupations and Clerical Services.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
6.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
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/43-3061.00