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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Parts Salespersons? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places parts salespersons in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 30,000 openings a year.

Short answer

Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow.

BLS AI exposure
HighBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
51/100Higher than 63% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+3.0%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
30,000BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed parts salespersons are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Parts Salespersons land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High · this job190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Performing for or working directly with the public4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions4.2/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Dealing with the public4.8/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Documenting/recording information4.0/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working with computers4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repeating the same tasks4.0/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Processing information3.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for parts salespersons

  • Examine returned parts for defects, and exchange defective parts or refund money.
  • Maintain and clean work and inventory areas.
  • Receive payment or obtain credit authorization.
  • Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.
  • Advise customers on substitution or modification of parts when identical replacements are not available.
  • Read catalogs, microfiche viewers, or computer displays to determine replacement part stock numbers and prices.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +3.0% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 30,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 270,070 people work in the job today, at a median of $38,630 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full parts salesperson profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than parts salespersons

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.

  1. Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendant

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $35,670median a year
    Growth
    +3.8%
    Openings / yr
    12,900
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    64/100
    resilience

    Service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories.

  2. Engine and Other Machine Assembler

    Production

    Median pay
    $53,710median a year
    Growth
    −17.0%
    Openings / yr
    2,100
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    58/100
    resilience

    Construct, assemble, or rebuild machines, such as engines, turbines, and similar equipment used in such industries as construction, extraction, textiles, and paper manufacturing.

  3. Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $40,240median a year
    Growth
    +1.8%
    Openings / yr
    340,500
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor.

  4. Home Appliance Repairer

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $50,990median a year
    Growth
    +1.9%
    Openings / yr
    2,800
    Education
    High school
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    62/100
    resilience

    Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.

  5. Stocker and Order Filler

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $37,330median a year
    Growth
    +8.9%
    Openings / yr
    430,700
    Education
    No formal credential
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders.

Will AI replace automotive and watercraft service attendants?Will AI replace warehouse workers?Will AI replace stockers and order fillers?

Questions

Will AI Replace Parts Salespersons? FAQ

Will AI replace parts salespersons?

Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 30,000 openings a year.

How exposed are parts salespersons to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Parts Salespersons are in the high category, alongside 189 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of a parts salesperson's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, working with computers and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are performing for or working directly with the public, face-to-face discussions and dealing with the public. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being a parts salesperson a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, parts salespersons score 51 out of 100, higher than 63% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $38,630 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to parts salespersons are less exposed to AI?

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendant (low exposure, $35,670 median), Engine and Other Machine Assembler (low exposure, $53,710 median), Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand (low exposure, $40,240 median), Home Appliance Repairer (moderate exposure, $50,990 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than parts salespersons, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.