Role Definition
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Job Title | Information and Record Clerks, All Other (BLS 43-4199) |
| Seniority Level | Mid-Level (3-7 years) |
| Primary Function | Catch-all BLS category for record-keeping clerks not classified elsewhere: title clerks, permit clerks, enrollment clerks, registration clerks, records management clerks. Maintains, updates, and retrieves records. Processes applications, permits, and forms. Enters data into databases. Responds to information requests at counters, by phone, and via email. Verifies document accuracy and completeness. Generates routine reports. |
| What This Role Is NOT | Not a Medical Records Specialist (HIPAA-regulated, assessed separately at 15.1 RED). Not a Court, Municipal, or License Clerk (judicial mandates, 13.2 RED). Not a Receptionist (front-desk focused, 8.0 RED Imminent). Not an Office Clerk, General (broader administrative, 5.5 RED Imminent). Not a Data Entry Clerk (narrower scope). |
| Typical Experience | 3-7 years. High school diploma standard. No licensing or formal certification. On-the-job training in domain-specific systems (permitting software, DMV databases, enrollment platforms). |
Seniority note: Entry-level (0-2 years) would score deeper Imminent — purely procedural, zero autonomy. There is no meaningful senior version — experienced clerks transition to records management, office management, or domain-specific coordinator roles rather than remaining as senior clerks.
Protective Principles + AI Growth Correlation
| Principle | Score (0-3) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Embodied Physicality | 0 | Desk-based and digital. Some counter work but no unstructured physical environment. |
| Deep Interpersonal Connection | 0 | Interactions are transactional — answering questions, processing forms, providing information. No trust-based or vulnerability-centred relationship. |
| Goal-Setting & Moral Judgment | 0 | Follows established procedures and checklists. Processes what is submitted. Does not interpret policy, set direction, or exercise judgment beyond completeness checks. |
| Protective Total | 0/9 | |
| AI Growth Correlation | -2 | AI directly displaces the core task portfolio. Every IDP deployment, every digital permitting system, every self-service portal reduces the need for human record clerks. More AI = fewer information clerks. |
Quick screen result: Protective 0/9 AND Correlation -2 → Almost certainly Red Zone.
Task Decomposition (Agentic AI Scoring)
| Task | Time % | Score (1-5) | Weighted | Aug/Disp | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processing applications, forms, and permits | 25% | 5 | 1.25 | DISPLACEMENT | IDP platforms (ABBYY, Kofax, Hyperscience) extract data from structured and unstructured forms, classify document types, and route to appropriate workflows. Digital permitting systems (Accela, Tyler Technologies) process applications end-to-end. |
| Data entry and record database maintenance | 20% | 5 | 1.00 | DISPLACEMENT | Classic automation target. RPA (UiPath, Power Automate), OCR, and database auto-population from scanned documents eliminate manual keying. System integrations sync records across platforms without human intermediary. |
| Record filing, retrieval, and archiving | 15% | 5 | 0.75 | DISPLACEMENT | Digital document management (SharePoint, Laserfiche, OpenText) with AI-powered classification, tagging, and retrieval. Full-text search replaces manual filing systems. Automated retention policies handle archiving. |
| Verifying document accuracy and completeness | 15% | 4 | 0.60 | DISPLACEMENT | AI validation rules flag missing fields, format errors, and data inconsistencies. Cross-referencing against external databases is automated. Human reviews exceptions but is not in the loop for the majority of verification. |
| Responding to information requests (counter/phone/email) | 15% | 3 | 0.45 | AUGMENTATION | Self-service portals and AI chatbots handle routine lookups. Human still needed for complex enquiries requiring judgment or explanation of policies. Public-facing interaction persists in government offices but declining. |
| Generating reports and compliance documentation | 10% | 4 | 0.40 | DISPLACEMENT | Automated reporting dashboards, scheduled report generation, and compliance tracking software produce standard outputs. AI drafts narrative summaries. Human reviews but creation is agent-executable. |
| Total | 100% | 4.45 |
Task Resistance Score: 6.00 - 4.45 = 1.55/5.0
Displacement/Augmentation split: 85% displacement, 15% augmentation, 0% not involved.
Reinstatement check (Acemoglu): Minimal new task creation. Unlike specialist records roles (medical records → clinical data governance), the catch-all nature of this category produces no new AI-adjacent tasks. The work is migrating into software systems, not transforming into new human roles. Workers must exit the role, not evolve within it.
Evidence Score
| Dimension | Score (-2 to 2) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Job Posting Trends | -1 | BLS projects -3% decline (2024-2034) for SOC 43-4199, losing ~34,600 positions from a base of 1.34M. Less severe than Office Clerk General (-7%) but still negative. Annual openings (149,200) are overwhelmingly replacement, not growth. Government digital transformation reducing counter clerk positions. |
| Company Actions | -1 | Government agencies nationwide deploying digital permitting (Accela in 3,000+ agencies), online enrollment systems, and self-service portals. County clerks' offices reducing window staff. Private-sector records management consolidating to automated platforms. No headline layoffs but steady headcount attrition. |
| Wage Trends | -1 | Median $43,730 (BLS, May 2024). Stagnant in real terms. Range $31,390-$63,640 with wide geographic variation. No wage premium emerging for technology-augmented clerks. The economic case for automation is strong — IDP tools cost a fraction of one clerk's salary. |
| AI Tool Maturity | -2 | Production tools covering 80%+ of core tasks: IDP (ABBYY Vantage, Kofax, Hyperscience), digital permitting (Accela, Tyler Technologies), document management (Laserfiche, OpenText with AI classification), RPA (UiPath, Power Automate), OCR (mature for 20+ years, now AI-enhanced). This is among the most mature automation categories. |
| Expert Consensus | -2 | BLS explicitly incorporates AI impacts into employment projections for information clerks. WEF names administrative/clerical as the fastest-declining category globally (92M jobs obsolete). Brookings identifies 6.1M clerical workers at high risk with low adaptation capacity. Oxford/Frey-Osborne estimated high automation probability. Universal agreement that record-keeping is a primary automation target. |
| Total | -7 |
Barrier Assessment
Reframed question: What prevents AI execution even when programmatically possible?
| Barrier | Score (0-2) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory/Licensing | 0 | No licensing required. The regulated record-keeping roles (medical records → HIPAA, court clerks → judicial mandates) are classified under their own SOC codes. This "All Other" category is the remainder — minimal regulation. |
| Physical Presence | 0 | Core work is digital. Some government counter work persists but rapidly migrating to online portals and kiosks. No unstructured physical environment. |
| Union/Collective Bargaining | 1 | Some government-employed clerks (municipal, county, state) have union representation providing mild job protection. This delays but does not prevent automation — government moves slower but in the same direction. Private-sector clerks have no union protection. |
| Liability/Accountability | 0 | Low stakes. A misprocessed permit, incorrect record, or filing error creates administrative inconvenience, not personal liability. No one faces prosecution for clerical errors. |
| Cultural/Ethical | 0 | No cultural resistance. Self-service portals, digital permitting, and online enrollment are widely accepted and often preferred by the public. Automating record-keeping is uncontroversial. |
| Total | 1/10 |
AI Growth Correlation Check
Confirmed at -2. AI adoption directly reduces demand for information and record clerks. Every digital permitting system eliminates permit clerks. Every online enrollment platform eliminates enrollment clerks. Every IDP deployment eliminates form processing clerks. Every document management system with AI classification eliminates filing clerks. The relationship is direct substitution with no complementarity — no new human tasks are created by automating record-keeping.
JobZone Composite Score (AIJRI)
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Task Resistance Score | 1.55/5.0 |
| Evidence Modifier | 1.0 + (-7 × 0.04) = 0.72 |
| Barrier Modifier | 1.0 + (1 × 0.02) = 1.02 |
| Growth Modifier | 1.0 + (-2 × 0.05) = 0.90 |
Raw: 1.55 × 0.72 × 1.02 × 0.90 = 1.0245
JobZone Score: (1.0245 - 0.54) / 7.93 × 100 = 6.1/100
Zone: RED (Green ≥48, Yellow 25-47, Red <25)
Sub-Label Determination
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| % of task time scoring 3+ | 100% |
| AI Growth Correlation | -2 |
| Sub-label | Red (Imminent) — Task Resistance 1.55 < 1.8, Evidence -7 ≤ -6, Barriers 1 ≤ 2 |
Assessor override: None — formula score accepted.
Assessor Commentary
Score vs Reality Check
The 6.1 score and RED (Imminent) classification are accurate. This catch-all category sits between Office Clerk General (5.5, Imminent) and Receptionist (8.0, Imminent) — which is precisely right. The catch-all clerks have slightly more domain knowledge than general office clerks (permit codes, title procedures, enrollment rules) but less interpersonal interaction than receptionists. The 1/10 barrier score reflects reality: unlike Court Clerks (5/10 — judicial mandates) or Medical Records Specialists (2/10 — HIPAA), these "All Other" clerks lack the regulatory protections that give classified record-keeping roles slightly longer runways.
What the Numbers Don't Capture
- The "All Other" category masks enormous heterogeneity. A title clerk at a county DMV, a permit clerk at a building department, and an enrollment clerk at a university have different automation timelines. Government clerks have 2-4 more years of runway than private-sector equivalents due to procurement cycles and legacy systems.
- Government employment provides a hidden buffer. A disproportionate share of these clerks work in local, state, and federal government. Government automation lags the private sector by 3-5 years. This delays but does not prevent displacement.
- The BLS -3% projection understates the real decline. BLS projections are aggregated and tend to smooth out disruption. The specific sub-roles within this catch-all (permit clerks, registration clerks) are seeing faster decline in digitised jurisdictions. The 149,200 annual openings are overwhelmingly replacement — retirees and transfers, not growth.
Who Should Worry (and Who Shouldn't)
If your day is processing forms, entering data, filing records, and answering routine information requests — you are the direct target of IDP, OCR, and digital records management systems that are already deployed at scale. Your employer may not have acted yet, but the tools are production-ready and the economic case is unambiguous.
If you work in a government office with legacy systems, union protection, and a large volume of paper records — you have more runway. Government procurement cycles, budget constraints, and institutional inertia buy time. But the direction is clear: every jurisdiction is moving to digital permitting, online enrollment, and self-service portals.
The single biggest separator: whether your employer has deployed a modern document management or digital permitting system. If yes, your position is already being absorbed. If no, you have 2-4 years of inertia protection — but no more.
What This Means
The role in 2028: The standalone "Information and Record Clerk" title will be functionally extinct at digitised organisations. Remaining positions will exist in government offices still completing digital transformation, and in hybrid roles combining residual counter service with technology support. The 1.34M current workforce will shrink through attrition rather than headline layoffs — positions eliminated as incumbents leave, not refilled.
Survival strategy:
- Exit this role now. The career path from record clerk leads to other roles that are also being automated. Target Office Manager (facilities, vendors, budgets), Records Management Specialist (governance, compliance, data quality), or Government Operations Coordinator — roles where your institutional knowledge translates to value AI cannot easily replace.
- Specialise in a protected sub-domain. If you must stay in records, move toward medical records (HIPAA complexity), court records (judicial mandates), or compliance records (regulatory oversight). Domain-specific knowledge creates differentiation that the catch-all category lacks.
- Learn to manage the systems replacing you. Laserfiche administration, Accela configuration, Power Automate workflow design, and IDP platform management are the skills that transform "clerk being displaced" into "records technology specialist." The gap is real but bridgeable for mid-level clerks with domain knowledge.
Where to look next. If you're considering a career shift, these Green Zone roles share transferable skills with this role:
- Compliance Manager (AIJRI 48.2) — Document management expertise, process adherence, and records accuracy transfer directly to compliance programme management with upskilling in regulatory frameworks
- Data Protection Officer (AIJRI 50.7) — Records management knowledge, data handling discipline, and attention to detail provide a foundation for data privacy roles with certification (CIPP/E, CIPM)
- Civil Engineer (AIJRI 48.1) — Permit clerks with building department experience understand construction workflows, code compliance, and plan review processes that transfer to civil engineering support with technical education
Browse all scored roles at jobzonerisk.com to find the right fit for your skills and interests.
Timeline: 12-24 months for digitised organisations. 2-4 years for government offices completing digital transformation. BLS projects -3% through 2034, but the decline is front-loaded as IDP and digital permitting adoption accelerates in 2026-2028. The 149,200 annual openings shrink each year as fewer positions are refilled.
