Retail & E-commerce
Will AI replace sales representatives?
BLS places sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products in its “Very high” AI-exposure category (of four, relative to other occupations). BLS projects employment to decline 0.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 99,800 openings a year. OEWS May 2025 median pay is $72,080 (10th–90th percentile $39,090–$137,550). Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent.
Sources: BLS AI exposure categories and Employment Projections 2025–35 (released 27 August 2026); BLS OEWS May 2025; tasks from O*NET 31.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Figures are for the BLS occupation Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products (SOC 41-4012), the closest occupation BLS tracks. Pipeline and quota selling to businesses is Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives in the SOC; selling on a retail floor is Retail Salespersons (41-2031), a different occupation.
Sales representatives find prospects, run the conversations and close the deals that meet a target.
The figures, with their sources
| AI-exposure category | Very high (of Low, Moderate, High, Very high)BLS AI exposure categories, 2025–35 |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 → 2035 | 1,279,400 → 1,268,200BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
| Projected change, 2025–35 | −0.9%BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
| Openings per year (2025–35 average) | 99,800BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
| Median annual pay | $72,080BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 10th–90th percentile pay | $39,090 – $137,550BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalentBLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
National figures, all industries and all experience levels. Employment and openings are published by BLS in thousands; pay is annual, in US dollars.
What BLS says, in its own words
“Very high” relative AI exposure generally indicates that, compared to other occupations, a larger fraction of an occupation’s tasks can be completed or assisted by AI technology, and that LLMs have been observed performing some of the occupation’s tasks.
“An exposure category is not a forecast of employment growth or decline.” “Exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability, or wage effects.”
“Productivity change - share decreases as generative artificial intelligence (AI) is integrated into the sales process allowing sales representatives to focus on direct sales activity.”
Our count from the BLS table: 141 of the 206 occupations in the “Very high” category are projected to grow from 2025 to 2035. That is our arithmetic on BLS data, not a BLS statement.
What the work is: O*NET® tasks
The occupation’s core tasks, most important first, as O*NET 31.0 words them.
- 1.Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- 2.Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.Judgment
- 3.Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
- 4.Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.Judgment · Relationships
- 5.Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
- 6.Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.
- 7.Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
- 8.Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
How we tag: a task is tagged Judgment, Accountability or Relationships when O*NET’s wording uses one of these verbs. Judgment: evaluate, assess, determine, decide, interpret, diagnose, recommend, investigate, approve, prioritize, resolve. Accountability: direct, supervise, manage, oversee, ensure, plan, establish, authorize, comply. Relationships: confer, consult, negotiate, advise, collaborate, liaise, mentor, train, counsel, persuade, interview, present, meet with. This is our reading of the task text, not an O*NET or BLS classification, and it is not a measure of AI exposure.
For new graduates
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
- Openings per year
- 99,800
- All levels, not entry-level only
The tasks to show proof for: 2 of 8 are about judgment, accountability or relationships
We point you at these because our method treats them as the work that is hardest to hand to AI. That is our judgment, not a BLS or O*NET finding. A capstone, an internship or a part-time job where you made the call, owned the outcome or worked with the people involved is proof. Write what you did, not what you were assigned.
Show the 2 tasks
- Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
- Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
What this data does not tell you
- How many openings are entry-level, or how many go to new graduates. BLS counts openings at every level.
- How AI will change hiring for junior roles in this occupation. The exposure category is about the occupation’s tasks, and BLS says it is not a forecast.
- Pay or openings in your city or industry. These are national figures.
- Whether your own tasks match these. O*NET describes the occupation, not your job.
BLS also publishes the work experience and on-the-job training usually needed; see the BLS projections table.
Proof worth finding for a Sales Representative application
Our editorial starting list, not a survey of postings. The posting you apply to decides what counts.
- Quota attainment or equivalent goal achievement metrics
- CRM proficiency (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Prospecting and pipeline management
- Communication and presentation skills
- Industry or vertical knowledge relevant to target role
Show your proof for one real posting
- Step 1Job Match · 5 tokensPaste a real posting. For each requirement, we quote the line in your resume that proves it, or say nothing was found.
- Step 2Resume · 15 tokensRewrite toward that posting from your own words. Any number we could not find in them is listed for you to check.
- Step 3Know your tasks · FreeYour own tasks against the sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products data above, labeled task by task.
Questions people ask
Will AI replace sales representatives?
The data does not say so. BLS places sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products in its “Very high” relative AI-exposure category and states that “An exposure category is not a forecast of employment growth or decline.” In BLS’s words: “Very high” relative AI exposure generally indicates that, compared to other occupations, a larger fraction of an occupation’s tasks can be completed or assisted by AI technology, and that LLMs have been observed performing some of the occupation’s tasks. BLS projects employment to decline 0.9% from 2025 to 2035 (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35). By our count from the BLS table, 141 of the 206 occupations in the “Very high” category are projected to grow.
How many sales representatives jobs open each year?
BLS projects about 99,800 openings a year for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products, averaged over 2025–35. BLS defines openings as net employment change plus workers permanently leaving the occupation, so a declining occupation can still have openings. Employment was 1,279,400 in 2025.
How much do sales representatives earn?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) puts the national median annual wage for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products at $72,080. The 10th percentile is $39,090, the 25th $50,470, the 75th $99,640 and the 90th $137,550. These are all industries and all experience levels in the United States; pay in your city and at your level will differ.
What education do sales representatives need?
BLS lists “High school diploma or equivalent” as the typical education needed to enter sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products. It is the typical path, not a rule: postings set their own requirements.
How does AISkillScore check a Sales Representative application?
We count, we do not guess. Job Match reads the posting’s requirements and, for each one, quotes the line in your resume that proves it, or says nothing was found. The resume rewrite keeps your claims and lists any number it could not find in your own words so you can check it before you send.
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Artificial Intelligence (AI) exposure categories; Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics; Employment Projections definitions; Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products. BLS data is in the public domain.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0 · Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products on O*NET OnLine. Changes: we show up to eight of the occupation’s core tasks, most important first, merged across the O*NET codes BLS groups into one occupation, and we add our own task tags.
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