Office Machine Operators, Except Computer

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.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.3), 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.

Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.

Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.

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.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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 compute prices for services and receive payment, or provide supervisors with billing information.

  From: Compute prices for services and receive payment, or provide supervisors with billing information. · 0.9% of measured AI use · directive

Tasks

All 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Read job orders to determine the type of work to be done, the quantities to be produced, and the materials needed. Core · importance 4.5
• Deliver completed work. Core · importance 4.3
• Place original copies in feed trays, feed originals into feed rolls, or position originals on tables beneath camera lenses. Core · importance 4.3
• Sort, assemble, and proof completed work. Core · importance 4.3
• Operate office machines such as high speed business photocopiers, readers, scanners, addressing machines, stencil-cutting machines, microfilm readers or printers, folding and inserting machines, bursters, and binder machines. Core · importance 4.3
• Complete records of production, including work volumes and outputs, materials used, and any backlogs. Core · importance 4.2
• Compute prices for services and receive payment, or provide supervisors with billing information. Core · importance 4.2
• Set up and adjust machines, regulating factors such as speed, ink flow, focus, and number of copies. Core · importance 4.2
• Load machines with materials such as blank paper or film. Core · importance 4.1
• Monitor machine operation, and make adjustments as necessary to ensure proper operation. Core · importance 4.1
• Clean machines, perform minor repairs, and report major repair needs. Core · importance 4.0
• File and store completed documents. Core · importance 3.9
• Operate auxiliary machines such as collators, pad and tablet making machines, staplers, and paper punching, folding, cutting, and perforating machines. Core · importance 3.9
• Maintain stock of supplies, and requisition any needed items. Core · importance 3.9
• Prepare and process papers for use in scanning, microfilming, and microfiche. Core · importance 3.8
• Clean and file master copies or plates. Core · importance 3.7
• Cut copies apart and write identifying information, such as page numbers or titles, on copies. Supplemental · importance 3.5
• Move heat units and clamping frames over screen beds to form Braille impressions on pages, raising frames to release individual copies. Supplemental · importance 2.6

Work activities

• Read work orders to determine material or setup requirements.
• Operate office equipment.
• Calculate costs of goods or services.
• Provide information to coworkers.
• Collect deposits, payments or fees.
• Sort materials or products.
• Compile data or documentation.
• Adjust office equipment to ensure proper operation.
• Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
• Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
• Store records or related materials.
• Clean facilities or equipment.
• Maintain office equipment in proper operating condition.
• Report maintenance or equipment problems to appropriate personnel.
• Record production information.
• Deliver items.
• Attach identification information to products, items or containers.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Transferable skills

Essential skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• English Language Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Windows Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Microsoft Access Specialized Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Adobe Photoshop Specialized Skill
• Adobe InDesign Specialized Skill
• Adobe Illustrator Specialized Skill
• Adobe Acrobat Specialized Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Publisher Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill

Showing the top 40 of 42.

Tools & technology

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.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

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.

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).

Related occupations

Part of the Management & Entrepreneurship career cluster.

• Prepress Technicians and Workers · 51-5111.00 Compare →
• Printing Press Operators · 51-5112.00 Compare →
• Data Entry Keyers · 43-9021.00 Compare →
• Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators · 51-9151.00 Compare →
• Print Binding and Finishing Workers · 51-5113.00 Compare →
• Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers · 49-2011.00 Compare →
• Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators · 43-5053.00 Compare →
• Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9196.00 Compare →
• Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers · 49-9091.00 Compare →
• Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service · 43-9051.00 Compare →
• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4035.00 Compare →
• Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks · 43-5061.00 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 Office Machine Operators, Except Computer — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

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.

@misc{singulariki-role-43-9071-00,
  title  = {Office Machine Operators, Except Computer},
  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-43-9071-00}
}