US dataswitch to UK
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
negotiating with retail merchants to improve product exposure, recommending products to customers, preparing sales contracts and ordering forms and providing customers with product samples and catalogs. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
This job is splitting in two: performing administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports is work AI now does quickly and cheaply, and consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support is work it can't touch.
Which half fills your week decides your exposure. That is more in your control than it sounds.
Your week, as this page understands it
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold. The job title says “sales representatives”, “wholesale”, “manufacturing”, “except technical” or “scientific products”: officially one job, several names. The real job is the part underneath: consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products is not one task. It is 18 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 40%
- changing shape
- 15%
- staying human
- 45%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 49 out of 100 (43–55 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, across 18 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- One task scored differently between repeat runs, so its range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
7 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Answering customers' questions about products
This is reading one thing and writing another: customers' questions in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (57–71 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Product, price and availability answers come from catalogues and systems, which software can search and explain.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring market conditions, product innovations and competitors' products, prices and sales
This is reading one thing and writing another: market conditions, product innovations and competitors' products in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (68–82 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Watching competitor prices and new products is reading published information and comparing it, which software does well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Estimating or quoting prices, credit or contract terms, warranties and delivery dates
This is reading one thing and writing another: prices, credit or contract terms in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (69–89 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Quotes for price, terms and delivery dates are calculated from company rules software can apply.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Performing administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports
This is reading one thing and writing another: administrative duties in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Sales budgets, records and expense reports are structured paperwork that software produces quickly and accurately.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Changing shape
3 tasksTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Recommending products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests
The software now makes the first pass at products, but the part that matters is a person saying it and standing behind it. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 53 out of 100 (46–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Recommendation engines match products to needs well, but customers often still want a person suggesting it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Preparing drawings, estimates and bids that meet specific customer needs
The software now makes the first pass at drawings, estimates and bids, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 44 out of 100 (37–51 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Estimates and bids suit software, but customer-specific drawings still need real design work and checking.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Arranging and directing delivery and installation of products and equipment
The software now makes the first pass at delivery, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Arrange and direct delivery and installation of products and equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 48 out of 100 (41–55 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Arranging delivery and installation is scheduling and coordination; the lifting is done by other people.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
8 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support
The value here is that a specific person handles clients after sales and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (17–25 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: After-sale problem solving depends on the customer trusting a particular person to fix it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Contacting regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products
This work happens in the physical world: regular and prospective customers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 18 out of 100 (11–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Demonstrating a product and winning an order usually means showing up and reading the customer.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Identifying prospective customers by using business directories
This work happens in the physical world: prospective customers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (25–39 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Directory and lead research suits software, but clubs and trade shows mean turning up in person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Show the other 8 tasks
Obtaining credit information about prospective customers
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: credit information in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Obtain credit information about prospective customers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Pulling credit information on a business is a standard lookup that software does quickly.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Forwarding orders to manufacturers
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: orders in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Forward orders to manufacturers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Passing an order through to the manufacturer is a routine system step that software handles.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Preparing sales contracts and ordering forms
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: sales contracts in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Prepare sales contracts and order forms.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 81 out of 100 (77–85 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Contracts and order forms follow standard templates, with a person signing them off afterwards.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Checking stock levels and reorder merchandise
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: stock levels, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Check stock levels and reorder merchandise as necessary.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Reorder points can be calculated automatically, but checking what is actually on the shelf means being there.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Negotiating details of contracts and payments
staying humanThe value here is that a specific person handles details of contracts and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Negotiate details of contracts and payments.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 24 out of 100 (20–28 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Settling contract and payment details rests on trust and give-and-take between people.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Planning, assembling
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: product displays, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (14–28 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Advising on displays can be done remotely, but building and stocking them is hands-on work in the shop.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Negotiating with retail merchants to improve product exposure
staying humanThe value here is that a specific person handles retail merchants and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (17–25 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Getting better shelf space depends on a long-running relationship with the retailer.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Providing customers with product samples and catalogs
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: customers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (5–13 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Physical samples have to be handed over or shipped, even though catalogues can be digital.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $72,080a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 1,238,190in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: administrative duties in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: performing administrative duties and answering customers' questions about products. What it cannot do is be trusted in person, which is what clients after sales run on: someone specific doing it and standing behind it. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Your week is splitting in two, and which half fills it is the whole question. Performing administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports is going; consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support is not.
So, given all that: 40% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 15% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 45% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 18 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
The occupation is an average and you are not, so the first job below is finding out where your own week actually sits.
This week: one thing
Print the task ledger above and put your own hours next to each row. Roughly, in pen, in one sitting. Then look at which group your hours actually pile up in. Twenty minutes, this week.
- What you end up holding
- your own week, on one page, sorted into what is shifting and what is not
- How long it takes
- about twenty minutes
If printing it isn’t practical: Read the rows off this page and write the same list on the back of an envelope. Same twenty minutes, same page, and it works just as well said out loud to someone who knows the job. The point is your hours next to the rows, not the paper it is on.
Over the next 90 days
Volunteer toward the durable end, visibly. Over the next ninety days put your hand up for the work in the bottom group (consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support) and let people see you doing it. Not a new project: the same job, with your mix deliberately tilted. The point is that when the rota or the reorganisation comes, the version of you people picture is the one doing the part that stays.
Over the next 12 months
Claim a specialism at the durable end and let the other end go. Over a year, deliberately become the person who handles consulting with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support, and deliberately stop being the first choice for the rows in the top group. That trade costs something, because the exposed work is often the comfortable work. Decide it on purpose rather than by drift. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel: only about 17% of its durable work is work you already do. Your own job splits about 40/60: that share of the list sits in the top exposure band and the rest does not. On this evidence the honest move is inside the job rather than out of it. Become the person who owns “recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests”, and let the exposed end go.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to…, and their equivalent is to consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and provide…. Across both published task lists that is about 17% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 17% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.
Sales Engineers
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already provide customers with product samples and catalogs, and their equivalent is to visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or…. Across both published task lists that is about 10% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 10% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. And it is a narrow door: about 51,790 of those jobs against 1,238,190 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 4% as many seats.
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating…, and their equivalent is to identify prospective customers, using business directories, leads from existing clients, participation in organizations…. Across both published task lists that is about 7% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 7% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. And it is a narrow door: about 284,800 of those jobs against 1,238,190 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 23% as many seats.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 40% of its task weight, across 18 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The whole-job doom story
Nothing on this page says this job ends. It says the mix inside it moves. Half the rows above are unchanged or changing shape, and the plan is about which half your week sits in. That is a very different problem, and a solvable one.
Panic-buying a course
Do the twenty-minute sorting exercise first. Most people who buy a course before they have done it buy the wrong one, and the free services listed below will tell you the same thing without charging for it.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Business sales executives is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Business sales executives. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
Free
No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it
Nothing Collab365 runs is built for sales representatives / wholesale / manufacturing / except technical / scientific products, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 40% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.
7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.
The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for sales representatives / wholesale / manufacturing / except technical / scientific products. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for sales representatives / wholesale / manufacturing / except technical / scientific products launches. Nothing else.
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No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 18 official task statements scored for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products (United States, SOC 41-4012), 40% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 49 out of 100 (range 43–55, band: partial). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports” (93/100, very high); “Obtain credit information about prospective customers” (93/100, very high); “Forward orders to manufacturers” (93/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products” stay human?
- About 45% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Provide customers with product samples and catalogs” (9/100, minimal); “Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders” (18/100, minimal); “Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising” (21/100, low). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 40% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 45% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 18 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
Worth knowing about these figures
- One task scored differently between repeat runs, so its range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.