Routine tasks are the parts losing value, like first drafts and rekeying form data, but the job does not always go with them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects bookkeeping clerk jobs will fall 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, while accountant and auditor jobs grow 5.0%, and it gives both its "Very high" AI exposure rating. Move more of your week toward catching errors, making decisions and working with clients.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

The BLS projections data show about 85,600 fewer bookkeeping clerk jobs and about 79,400 more accountant and auditor jobs from 2025 to 2035. In May 2025, the median pay was $50,670 for the clerks and $83,680 for accountants and auditors.

Paralegal jobs are projected to dip 0.3% while lawyer jobs grow 4.7%. Customer service rep jobs are projected to fall 5.3%, yet BLS still expects about 289,500 openings a year.

A high rating is not a forecast. BLS says in its guide to the AI exposure ratings, "Exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability, or wage effects."

First drafts take less time. In a study published in Science on July 14, 2023, economists Noy and Zhang gave 453 college-educated professionals "midlevel professional writing tasks," and some were randomly given an AI chatbot. For that group, "The average time taken decreased by 40% and output quality rose by 18%." It used the AI tools of 2023.

In an NBER working paper on 5,179 customer support agents, Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond found a generative AI tool raised issues resolved per hour by 14% on average, "including a 34% improvement for novice and low-skilled workers." The authors worked with "a company that provides AI-based customer service support software" to study the tool "at one of their client firms." A co-author disclosed related relationships.

Law and Shen, in Management Science in 2025, found that audit offices that hire AI employees "have a 4.3% increase in the number of auditor jobs, particularly among junior and midlevel auditors." They concluded that "using AI does not replace auditors, but rather changes the skills required for these jobs and improves audit quality." Their data run from 2011 to 2019, before generative AI tools.

This sorting is Work Remade's own reading of the Labor Department's O*NET task lists and the studies above, not an official rating. O*NET does not rate tasks as more or less valuable.

Accountants and auditors

Tasks under pressure

"Process invoices for payment." and "Prepare adjusting journal entries."

Tasks holding up

"Prepare detailed reports on audit findings."

Paralegals

Tasks under pressure

"Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents."

Tasks holding up

"Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases."

Customer service reps

Tasks under pressure

Giving customers information about products or services, and keeping records of their questions and complaints

Tasks holding up

Resolving service or billing complaints, like refunding money or adjusting bills

We found no study of paralegal tasks, so that part rests on the task list and the writing study.

In its July 15, 2026 news release, ACORD said Cincinnati Insurance saw "approximately 90% time savings in data entry for ACORD Forms." That figure is ACORD's claim. Frank Neugebauer, the insurer's generative AI director, said, "We're no longer just moving data around, but spending more time focused on underwriting and claims." ACORD sells the tool, and its release gives no change in headcount.

Look at tasks, not titles. In the two weeks from September 21 to October 4, 2026, 24.6% of U.S. employer businesses used AI, and 24.3% of firms with 1 to 4 employees did, according to the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey. The Small Business Administration's AI guide says, "AI is relatively new, so start small." It also says to "have another person review all AI products."

California will require a human check for one kind of decision. Senate Bill 947 was approved by the governor on September 30, 2026, and its rules become operative July 1, 2027. It says, "An employer shall not rely solely on an ADS when making a disciplinary or termination decision." An ADS is an automated decision system. If an employer primarily relies on one, it "shall direct a human to corroborate the decision," and it must give a written notice after using it. The civil penalty is $500 per violation, and the law also allows injunctions, punitive damages and lawyers' fees. We saw no size limit in its definition of employer, so it covers small businesses too. That is our reading, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer what it means for you.