Occupations by AI Applicability Score

Microsoft Research Study - Working with AI (2024)

Methodology: AI Applicability Score combines frequency (≥0.05% activity share), success (completion rate), and scope (moderate+ capability coverage) for work activities matched to each occupation.

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Top 40 Occupations (Highest AI Applicability)

Rank	Occupation	Score	Employment	Coverage	Completion	Scope
1	Interpreters and Translators	0.492	51,560	0.980	0.883	0.568
2	Historians	0.462	3,040	0.906	0.852	0.564
3	Writers and Authors	0.454	49,450	0.850	0.841	0.603
4	Services Sales Representatives	0.449	1,142,020	0.842	0.902	0.573
5	CNC Tool Programmers	0.419	28,030	0.899	0.869	0.528
6	Broadcast Announcers and DJs	0.409	25,070	0.745	0.841	0.605
7	Customer Service Representatives	0.408	2,858,710	0.720	0.901	0.591
8	Telemarketers	0.404	81,580	0.656	0.893	0.603
9	Political Scientists	0.391	5,580	0.774	0.873	0.528
10	Mathematicians	0.386	2,220	0.905	0.744	0.538
11	Journalists	0.383	45,020	0.815	0.811	0.560
12	Passenger Attendants	0.376	20,190	0.798	0.875	0.616
13	Technical Writers	0.373	47,970	0.826	0.816	0.538
14	Concierges	0.372	41,020	0.699	0.880	0.556
15	Proofreaders	0.369	5,490	0.911	0.860	0.486
16	Editors	0.367	95,700	0.780	0.818	0.537
17	Business Teachers (Postsecondary)	0.367	82,980	0.700	0.904	0.517
18	Public Relations Specialists	0.365	275,550	0.627	0.900	0.600
19	Data Scientists	0.357	192,710	0.765	0.863	0.506
20	Personal Financial Advisors	0.355	272,190	0.689	0.875	0.524
21	Web Developers	0.353	85,350	0.733	0.858	0.506
22	Advertising Sales Agents	0.353	108,100	0.660	0.901	0.526
23	Management Analysts	0.353	838,140	0.676	0.896	0.540
24	Geographers	0.352	1,460	0.771	0.828	0.478
25	Brokerage Clerks	0.350	48,060	0.742	0.892	0.574
26	Market Research Analysts	0.350	846,370	0.707	0.897	0.517
27	Economics Teachers	0.349	12,210	0.676	0.899	0.512
28	Public Safety Telecommunicators	0.346	97,820	0.660	0.878	0.534
29	Counter and Rental Clerks	0.344	390,300	0.622	0.900	0.523
30	Telephone Operators	0.342	4,600	0.804	0.859	0.567
31	Library Science Teachers	0.341	4,220	0.654	0.904	0.512
32	Tax Examiners and Revenue Agents	0.340	50,250	0.534	0.889	0.557
33	Political Science Teachers	0.339	17,090	0.653	0.898	0.503
34	Philosophy and Religion Teachers	0.338	20,320	0.654	0.897	0.509
35	Models	0.337	3,090	0.642	0.888	0.533
36	Mathematical Science Occupations (Other)	0.336	4,320	0.646	0.882	0.527
37	Computer User Support Specialists	0.334	689,700	0.720	0.875	0.475
38	Criminal Justice Teachers	0.334	13,390	0.648	0.898	0.506
39	Child and Family Social Workers	0.334	352,160	0.691	0.878	0.469
40	Foreign Language Teachers	0.333	20,820	0.638	0.899	0.509

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Bottom 40 Occupations (Lowest AI Applicability)

Rank	Occupation	Score	Employment	Coverage	Completion	Scope
746	Helpers–Extraction Workers	0.028	7,360	0.089	0.956	0.336
747	Helpers–Painters/Paperhangers	0.027	7,700	0.042	0.957	0.376
748	Plant and System Operators (Other)	0.026	15,370	0.053	0.927	0.375
749	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons	0.026	4,160	0.053	0.894	0.340
750	Embalmers	0.026	3,380	0.066	0.545	0.220
751	Automotive Glass Installers	0.025	16,890	0.045	0.930	0.342
752	Ship Engineers	0.025	8,860	0.050	0.918	0.386
753	Tire Repairers and Changers	0.023	101,520	0.044	0.947	0.352
754	Phlebotomists	0.022	137,080	0.057	0.952	0.286
755	Hazardous Materials Removal Workers	0.022	49,960	0.045	0.953	0.347
756	Helpers–Production Workers	0.021	181,810	0.037	0.925	0.362
757	Highway Maintenance Workers	0.021	150,860	0.032	0.963	0.319
758	Medical Equipment Preparers	0.021	66,790	0.038	0.961	0.309
759	Packaging Machine Operators	0.020	371,600	0.037	0.914	0.389
760	Machine Feeders and Offbearers	0.019	44,500	0.046	0.889	0.360
761	Dishwashers	0.018	463,940	0.029	0.947	0.301
762	Cement Masons	0.015	203,560	0.033	0.921	0.391
763	Prosthodontists	0.015	570	0.099	0.896	0.288
764	Industrial Truck Operators	0.013	778,920	0.031	0.944	0.281
765	Massage Therapists	0.012	92,650	0.102	0.908	0.321
766	Surgical Assistants	0.012	18,780	0.029	0.784	0.288
767	Tire Builders	0.012	20,660	0.028	0.927	0.399
768	Helpers–Roofers	0.010	4,540	0.016	0.943	0.368
769	Gas Compressor Operators	0.010	4,400	0.015	0.957	0.472
770	Roofers	0.009	135,140	0.018	0.942	0.376
771	Firefighting Supervisors	0.009	84,120	0.040	0.883	0.385
772	Roustabouts (Oil and Gas)	0.009	43,830	0.013	0.952	0.392
773	Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	0.008	836,230	0.022	0.935	0.336
774	Ophthalmic Medical Technicians	0.007	73,390	0.037	0.890	0.329
775	Paving Equipment Operators	0.007	43,080	0.009	0.958	0.293
776	Logging Equipment Operators	0.005	23,720	0.012	0.955	0.364
777	Motorboat Operators	0.003	2,710	0.007	0.934	0.387
778	Orderlies	0.000	48,710	0.000	0.761	0.181
779	Floor Sanders and Finishers	0.000	5,070	0.000	0.937	0.337
780	Pile Driver Operators	0.000	3,010	0.000	0.976	0.236
781	Rail-Track Equipment Operators	0.000	18,770	0.000	0.962	0.271
782	Foundry Mold and Coremakers	0.000	11,780	0.000	0.952	0.361
783	Water Treatment Plant Operators	0.000	120,710	0.000	0.919	0.439
784	Bridge and Lock Tenders	0.000	3,460	0.000	0.931	0.386
785	Dredge Operators	0.000	940	0.000	0.986	0.223

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SOC Major Groups (Employment-Weighted Averages)

Rank	Major Group	Score	Employment	Key Pattern
1	Computer & Mathematical	0.29	5.2M	Information Work
2	Sales & Related	0.29	13.3M	Information Work
3	Office & Admin Support	0.26	18.2M	Information Work
4	Community & Social Service	0.25	2.2M	Information Work
5	Arts/Design/Entertainment/Sports/Media	0.24	2.0M	Information Work
6	Business & Financial Operations	0.23	10.1M	Information Work
7	Architecture & Engineering	0.22	2.5M	Information Work
8	Education Instruction & Library	0.21	8.3M	Information Work
9	Life, Physical, Social Science	0.19	1.4M	Mixed
10	Personal Care & Service	0.18	3.0M	Mixed
11	Food Preparation & Serving	0.17	13.1M	Physical Work
12	Management	0.13	10.4M	Information Work
13	Legal	0.13	1.2M	Information Work
14	Protective Service	0.12	3.5M	Physical Work
15	Healthcare Practitioners & Technical	0.12	9.3M	Mixed
16	Production	0.11	8.4M	Physical Work
17	Installation, Maintenance, Repair	0.10	6.0M	Physical Work
18	Transportation & Material Moving	0.10	13.7M	Physical Work
19	Building/Grounds Cleaning/Maintenance	0.08	4.4M	Physical Work
20	Construction & Extraction	0.07	6.2M	Physical Work
21	Farming, Fishing, & Forestry	0.06	0.4M	Physical Work
22	Healthcare Support	0.05	7.1M	Physical Work

Note: Groups marked Information Work have majority of workers in occupations consisting primarily of information work (creating, processing, communicating information).

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SOC Minor Groups (Top 25 by AI Applicability)

Rank	Minor Group	Score	Employment
1	Media and Communication Workers	0.38	<500K
2	Sales Representatives, Services	0.35	2M+
3	Information and Record Clerks	0.33	2M+
4	Mathematical Science Occupations	0.32	<500K
5	Tour and Travel Guides	0.32	<500K
6	Postsecondary Teachers	0.31	500K-2M
7	Sales Reps, Wholesale and Manufacturing	0.31	500K-2M
8	Communications Equipment Operators	0.30	<500K
9	Baggage Porters, Bellhops, Concierges	0.30	<500K
10	Retail Sales Workers	0.30	2M+
11	Other Sales and Related Workers	0.30	<500K
12	Computer Occupations	0.29	2M+
13	Personal Care and Service Supervisors	0.27	<500K
14	Entertainment Attendants and Related	0.27	500K-2M
15	Religious Workers	0.26	<500K
16	Social Scientists and Related	0.26	<500K
17	Librarians, Curators, Archivists	0.25	<500K
18	Counselors, Social Workers, Related	0.25	2M+
19	Supervisors of Production Workers	0.25	500K-2M
20	Other Office and Admin Support Workers	0.25	2M+
21	Office and Admin Support Supervisors	0.25	500K-2M
22	Financial Clerks	0.24	2M+
23	Secretaries and Administrative Assistants	0.24	2M+
24	Business Operations Specialists	0.24	2M+
25	Animal Care and Service Workers	0.24	<500K

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Occupations: Delegation vs Collaboration Patterns

High AI Action Applicability (Likely to Delegate Tasks)

Occupations that may delegate work to AI, focusing on other aspects

• Media and Communications Occupations
• Business and Financial Operations
• Training and Development Managers
• Human Resources Specialists
• Environmental Engineers
• Actuaries

High User Goal Applicability (Likely to Collaborate)

Occupations that perform same tasks but with AI assistance

• Computer and Mathematical Occupations
• Cooks (all categories)
• Photographers
• Meat Cutters and Butchers
• Animal Breeders
• Archivists

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Key Patterns & Insights

Information Work Dominance

Top applicability occupations are primarily information workers:

• Create information: Writers, Editors, Content Creators
• Process information: Data Scientists, Analysts, Researchers
• Communicate information: Customer Service, Sales, PR Specialists
• Teach/explain: Teachers, Trainers, Subject Matter Experts

Low Applicability Characteristics

Occupations with minimal AI applicability typically:

• Require physical manipulation of objects/materials
• Involve hands-on healthcare procedures
• Operate heavy machinery or vehicles
• Perform manual labor in construction/extraction
• Require physical presence for safety/security

Wage Relationship (Weak)

• Employment-weighted correlation with wage: r = 0.13
• Without employment weighting: r = 0.17 (user goals), r = 0.32 (AI actions)
• High-applicability occupations span wage spectrum
• Challenges predictions of AI disproportionately affecting high-wage workers

Education Relationship (Broad)

• AI applicability spans all education levels
• Not concentrated in high-education occupations as predicted
• Reflects that information work embedded across education spectrum

Employment Distribution

• High-employment, high-applicability: Customer Service Reps (2.9M), Sales Reps (1.1M)
• High-employment, low-applicability: Maids (836K), Industrial Truck Operators (779K)
• Most workers in occupations with at least some AI applicability

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Demographic Implications

Gender:

• Positive correlation (r=0.21) with percentage women
• High-applicability occupations somewhat female-dominated

Race/Ethnicity:

• Hispanic/Latino: Strong negative correlation (r=-0.43)
• White: Weak positive correlation (r=0.14)
• Black/African American: Minimal correlation (r=0.02)
• Asian: Positive correlation (r=0.19)

Age:

• Weak positive correlation (r=0.11) with median age
• Slightly higher applicability for occupations with older workers

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Comparison to Prior Predictions

Correlation with Eloundou et al. (2024) expert predictions:

• Employment-weighted r = 0.73
• Strong alignment at high level
• But key differences in wage/education relationships

Key Divergences from Predictions:

1. Much weaker wage correlation than expected
2. Broader education spectrum than predicted
3. More widespread applicability across sectors
4. Less concentration in "high-skill" occupations

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Study Metadata

Data Source: Microsoft Bing Copilot conversations (Jan-Sep 2024) Sample Size: 200,000 conversations (uniform sample + 100k feedback sample) Geography: United States only Occupational Framework: ONET 29.0 Database mapped to 2018 SOC codes Work Activities: 332 Intermediate Work Activities (IWAs) from ONET Total Occupations Analyzed: 785 SOC codes (covering 149.8M workers)

Citation: Tomlinson, K., Jaffe, S., Wang, W., Counts, S., & Suri, S. (2025). Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations. Microsoft Research.