Often handed to AI
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
- Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. · 1.4%
Funeral Attendants
Occupation · SOC 39-4021.00
Perform a variety of tasks during funeral, such as placing casket in parlor or chapel prior to service, arranging floral offerings or lights around casket, directing or escorting mourners, closing casket, and issuing and storing funeral equipment.
Also called: Funeral Assistant · Funeral Attendant · Funeral Director · Funeral Home Assistant · Funeral Associate · Funeral Greeter · Funeral Home Associate · Funeral Home Attendant · Cemetery Services Specialist · Funeral Service Attendant · Funeral Services Assistant (FSA) · Greeter
Job family: Personal Care and Service Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-39-4021-00/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.
- Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. · 100.0% need a human
- Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after care programs. · 90.9% 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.
- About average employment outlook (+3.1% by 2034)
- 5,700 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans automation
- Median pay $34,610/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
38th-percentile task overlap — yet about 5,700 openings a year (+3.1% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 2526% 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.) Low | 33rd | -0.5 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 23rd | 0.2 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 63rd | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.2). 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 0.4 · 42nd percentile among occupations · Moderate
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +3.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 5,700 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 32,500 → 33,500 |
“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.
Funeral Attendants sits at the 21st 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.
17% mean task exposure (2025)
21st percentile of 427 placed occupations
+6 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Undertakers and Embalmers · 5163 | 17% | 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 | 25.3% working with AI · 47.4% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.5 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 55.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. | Directive | 1.4% |
| Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after care programs. | none | 0.6% |
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.
| Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. | 100.0% | |
| Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after care programs. | 90.9% |
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 perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls.From: Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. · 1.4% of measured AI use · directive
-
Help me attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after care programs.From: Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after care programs. · 0.6% of measured AI use · none
Tasks
All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Embalm, dress, cosmeticize, and casket the deceased. Supplemental · importance 4.7
- Prepare obituaries for newspapers. Supplemental · importance 4.6
- Obtain burial permits and register deaths. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Obtain doctors' signatures on death certificate and complete other paperwork, such as insurance claims forms. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Transport the deceased to the funeral home. Core · importance 4.5
- Assist with cremations and the processing and packaging of cremated remains. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Greet people at the funeral home. Core · importance 4.5
- Perform a variety of tasks during funerals to assist funeral directors and to ensure that services run smoothly and as planned. Core · importance 4.4
- Close caskets at appropriate point in services. Core · importance 4.4
- Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after-care programs. Core · importance 4.3
- Direct or escort mourners to parlors or chapels in which wakes or funerals are being held. Core · importance 4.3
- Place caskets in parlors or chapels prior to wakes or funerals. Core · importance 4.3
- Offer assistance to mourners as they enter or exit limousines. Core · importance 4.3
- Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. Core · importance 4.2
- Clean funeral parlors or chapels. Core · importance 4.1
- Arrange floral offerings or lights around caskets. Core · importance 4.1
- Act as pallbearers. Core · importance 4.0
- Clean and drive funeral vehicles, such as cars or hearses, in funeral processions. Core · importance 4.0
- Supervise funeral processions and assist with cemetery parking. Core · importance 4.0
- Deliver floral arrangements or other items to family members of the deceased. Core · importance 3.9
- Carry flowers to hearses or limousines for transportation to places of interment. Core · importance 3.8
- Perform general maintenance tasks for funeral homes, such as maintaining equipment or caring for funeral grounds. Core · importance 3.8
- Issue and store funeral equipment. Core · importance 3.7
- Provide advice to mourners on how to make charitable donations in honor of the deceased. Core · importance 3.6
- Manage funeral home finances, including receiving payments, making bank deposits, or performing general bookkeeping duties. Supplemental
- Meet with family members to plan the funeral. Supplemental
Work activities
- Transport biological or other medical materials.
- Provide counsel, comfort, or encouragement to individuals or families.
- Perform administrative or clerical tasks.
- Direct funeral or mortuary activities.
- Deliver items.
- Maintain facilities.
- Apply makeup to alter or enhance appearance.
- Embalm corpses.
- Write informational material.
- Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
- Greet customers, patrons, or visitors.
- Assist patrons with entering or exiting vehicles or other forms of transportation.
- Handle caskets.
- Prepare administrative documents.
- Provide escort or transportation.
- Provide patrons with directions to locales or attractions.
- Clean tools or equipment.
- Drive vehicles to transport patrons.
- Clean facilities or work areas.
- Arrange items for use or display.
- Assign resources or facilities to patrons or employees.
- Load materials into equipment for processing.
- Load items into ovens or furnaces.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.4 | |
| Time Management | 2.4 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.3 | |
| Near Vision | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.9 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 2.9 | |
| Written Expression | 2.8 | |
| Static Strength | 2.8 | |
| Far Vision | 2.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.6 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.5 | |
| Trunk Strength | 2.5 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 2.6 | |
| Writing | 2.3 |
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 Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology In demand |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Bookkeeping software | Accounting software | |
| iCIMS Talent Cloud software | Human resources 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.
| High School Diploma | 47.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 22.5% | |
| Some College Courses | 12.6% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 9.3% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 6.8% | |
| First Professional Degree | 1.7% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 8.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 7.0 | |
| Integrity | 6.0 | |
| Cooperation | 5.0 | |
| Self-Control | 4.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 3.0 | |
| Empathy | 2.6 | |
| Sincerity | 2.4 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.3 | |
| Social | 3.9 | |
| Enterprising | 3.7 |
Interest areas
| Personal Service | 4.9 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 3.5 | |
| Social Service | 2.9 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $26,820 |
| 25th percentile | $29,420 |
| Median (50th) | $34,610 |
| 75th percentile | $39,230 |
| 90th percentile | $46,690 |
| People employed | 30,560 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 30,300 | $34,610 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 30 | $44,190 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | — | $31,510 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 34.54× | 30,300 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers · 39-4031.00 Compare →
- Funeral Home Managers · 11-9171.00 Compare →
- Crematory Operators · 39-4012.00 Compare →
- Embalmers · 39-4011.00 Compare →
- Home Health Aides · 31-1121.00 Compare →
- Personal Care Aides · 31-1122.00 Compare →
- Orderlies · 31-1132.00 Compare →
- Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers · 39-3031.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers · 39-1022.00 Compare →
- Passenger Attendants · 53-6061.00 Compare →
- Coroners · 13-1041.06 Compare →
- Concierges · 39-6012.00 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 Funeral Attendants — 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 21st percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Funeral Attendants show 38th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,700 annual U.S. openings
- Funeral Attendants rank in the 38th 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 5,700 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 about average (+3.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $34,610, across about 30,560 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 25% 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
Funeral Attendants show 38th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,700 annual U.S. openings • Funeral Attendants rank in the 38th 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 5,700 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 about average (+3.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $34,610, across about 30,560 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 25% 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 — "Funeral Attendants". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-4021-00 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. "Funeral Attendants." 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-39-4021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Funeral Attendants. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-4021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-39-4021-00,
title = {Funeral Attendants},
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-39-4021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.