Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. · 5.3%
Pharmacy Aides
Occupation · SOC 31-9095.00
Record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.
Also called: Certified Pharmacist Assistant · Pharmacy Aide · Pharmacy Assistant · Pharmacy Clerk · Drug Purchaser · Front Counter Clerk · Pharmacist Assistant · Pharmacy Ancillary · Pharmacy Cashier · Dispensary Attendant · Drug Clerk · Pharmaceutical Assistant
Job family: Healthcare Support Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-31-9095-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. · 96.8% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-0.1% by 2034)
- 6,100 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Median pay $37,000/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (59th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (37th)
37th-percentile task overlap — yet about 6,100 openings a year (-0.1% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 7448% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 45th | -0.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 45th | 0.5 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 26th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.5). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.7 · 59th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Compound, package, and label pharmaceutical products, under direction of pharmacist. | 0.2% | |
| Prepare, maintain, and record records of inventories, receipts, purchases, or deliveries, using a variety of computer screen formats. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -0.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 6,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 41,100 → 41,100 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Pharmacy Aides sits at the 18th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
15% mean task exposure (2025)
18th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care Workers in Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified · 5329 | 15% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 74.5% working with AI · 23.4% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 6.9% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. | Learning | 5.3% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. | 96.8% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs.From: Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. · 5.3% of measured AI use · learning
Tasks
All 17 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Greet customers and help them locate merchandise. Core · importance 4.7
- Prepare prescription labels by typing or operating a computer and printer. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Accept prescriptions for filling, gathering and processing necessary information. Core · importance 4.5
- Operate cash register to process cash or credit sales. Core · importance 4.5
- Answer telephone inquiries, referring callers to pharmacist when necessary. Core · importance 4.4
- Compound, package, and label pharmaceutical products, under direction of pharmacist. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Process medical insurance claims, posting bill amounts and calculating copayments. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Receive, store, and inventory pharmaceutical supplies or medications, check for out-of-date medications, and notify pharmacist when inventory levels are low. Core · importance 4.1
- Unpack, sort, count, and label incoming merchandise, including items requiring special handling or refrigeration. Core · importance 4.0
- Restock storage areas, replenishing items on shelves. Core · importance 4.0
- Perform clerical tasks, such as filing, compiling and maintaining prescription records, or composing letters. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Prepare, maintain, and record records of inventories, receipts, purchases, or deliveries, using a variety of computer screen formats. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Deliver medication to treatment areas, living units, residences, or clinics, using various means of transportation. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Maintain and clean equipment, work areas, or shelves. Core · importance 3.5
- Calculate anticipated drug usage for a prescribed period. Supplemental
- Operate capsule or tablet counting machine that automatically distributes a certain number of capsules or tablets into smaller containers. Supplemental
- Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. Supplemental
Work activities
- Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
- Control prescription refills or authorizations.
- Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
- Respond to customer inquiries.
- Provide customer service to clients or users.
- Greet customers, patrons, or visitors.
- Perform clerical work in medical settings.
- Stock medical or patient care supplies.
- Maintain medical records.
- Clean medical equipment.
- Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
- Process medical billing information.
- Apply identification labels or tags.
- Package materials or products.
- Transport biological or other medical materials.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.8 | |
| English Language | 3.4 | |
| Administrative | 3.1 | |
| Sales and Marketing | 3.0 | |
| Law and Government | 2.9 | |
| Administration and Management | 2.9 | |
| Mathematics | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.5 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.4 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.4 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Written Expression | 3.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.0 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.9 | |
| Far Vision | 2.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.8 | |
| Trunk Strength | 2.8 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.8 | |
| Number Facility | 2.6 | |
| Selective Attention | 2.6 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.5 | |
| Speaking | 3.4 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | |
| Active Learning | 2.9 | |
| Writing | 2.8 | |
| Monitoring | 2.8 |
Transferable skills
| Service Orientation | 3.4 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.8 | |
| Time Management | 2.6 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology In demand |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology In demand |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Database software | Data base user interface and query software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 18.2% | |
| Some College Courses | 5.6% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Conventional | 6.8 | |
| Enterprising | 3.8 | |
| Realistic | 3.8 | |
| Social | 3.1 |
Interest areas
| Office Work | 4.5 | |
| Health Care Service | 3.2 | |
| Personal Service | 2.5 | |
| Sales | 2.5 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.3 | |
| Accounting | 1.8 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.4 | |
| Integrity | 2.3 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.0 | |
| Cooperation | 1.9 | |
| Social Orientation | 1.6 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $29,360 |
| 25th percentile | $34,450 |
| Median (50th) | $37,000 |
| 75th percentile | $42,570 |
| 90th percentile | $58,660 |
| People employed | 41,100 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade · Sector | 33,290 | $36,330 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers · National industry | 27,500 | $36,120 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 5,750 | $55,090 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 750 | $41,030 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 600 | $42,790 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 350 | $47,090 |
| Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers · National industry | 250 | $47,820 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 130 | $32,640 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 90 | $39,790 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 40 | $41,340 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 30 | $32,180 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 30 | $40,960 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers · National industry | 145.6× | 27,500 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 8.01× | 33,290 |
| Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers · National industry | 2.09× | 250 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 0.93× | 5,750 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.47× | 750 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.47× | 350 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 0.36× | 600 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.05× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Pharmacy Technicians · 29-2052.00 Compare →
- Cashiers · 41-2011.00 Compare →
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants · 43-6013.00 Compare →
- Medical Assistants · 31-9092.00 Compare →
- Stockers and Order Fillers · 53-7065.00 Compare →
- Receptionists and Information Clerks · 43-4171.00 Compare →
- Opticians, Dispensing · 29-2081.00 Compare →
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers · 31-9096.00 Compare →
- Phlebotomists · 31-9097.00 Compare →
- Medical Equipment Preparers · 31-9093.00 Compare →
- Pharmacists · 29-1051.00 Compare →
- Nursing Assistants · 31-1131.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Pharmacy Aides — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 18th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Pharmacy Aides show 37th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,100 annual U.S. openings
- Pharmacy Aides rank in the 37th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 6,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-0.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $37,000, across about 41,100 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 74% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Pharmacy Aides show 37th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,100 annual U.S. openings • Pharmacy Aides rank in the 37th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 6,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-0.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $37,000, across about 41,100 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 74% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Pharmacy Aides". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9095-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Pharmacy Aides." 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/roles/role-31-9095-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Pharmacy Aides. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9095-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-31-9095-00,
title = {Pharmacy Aides},
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/roles/role-31-9095-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.