Skip to content
Singulariki

File Clerks vs Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of File Clerks and Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

File Clerks Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$41,270
$55,290
Employment · BLS OEWS
78,980
156,950
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
80th pct
73rd pct

At a glance

Dimension File Clerks Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
Median pay $41,270 $55,290
Employment 78,980 156,950
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-15.9%) Declining (-16.7%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 7,300 13,000
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
AI exposure · published exposure studies High · 80th pct High · 73rd pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 69th pct · 37% of tasks 98th pct · 61% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index Automation-leaning (48.9%) Augmentation-leaning (52.9%)
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman Yes Yes

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Administrative, English Language, Information Ordering, Customer and Personal Service, Written Comprehension, Category Flexibility, Near Vision, Reading Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Active Listening, Perceptual Speed, Selective Attention, Computers and Electronics, Speaking, Speech Clarity, Mathematics, Writing, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Recognition, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Time Management, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Flexibility of Closure, Active Learning, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving, Administration and Management, Judgment and Decision Making.

Specific to File Clerks

  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Fluency of Ideas
  • Originality
  • Far Vision

Specific to Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

  • Economics and Accounting
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Number Facility
  • Communications and Media

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software , Accounting software , Data base user interface and query software , Presentation software .

Specific to File Clerks

Specific to Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for File Clerks or Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "File Clerks vs Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/file-clerks-vs-payroll-and-timekeeping-clerks

APA

Singulariki. (2026). File Clerks vs Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/file-clerks-vs-payroll-and-timekeeping-clerks

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-file-clerks-vs-payroll-and-timekeeping-clerks,
  title  = {File Clerks vs Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/file-clerks-vs-payroll-and-timekeeping-clerks}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.