The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of customer service representatives will fall 5 percent between 2025 and 2035, a loss of about 141,800 jobs, while roughly 289,500 openings a year are still expected from workers who retire or move to other occupations. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook attributes the decline to automation and self-service technology in general, and its page does not name AI or chatbots. Exposure scores that BLS publishes separately are described by the agency as a comparison between occupations, not a forecast of job losses.
Key takeaways
- BLS counted 2,666,000 customer service representative jobs in 2025 and projects 2,524,100 in 2035.
- The projected change of minus 5 percent compares with plus 3 percent for all occupations.
- The handbook cites automation, self-service systems, social media, and mobile apps, not chatbots by name.
- BLS states that AI exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability, or wage effects.
What the federal outlook says about the occupation
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for customer service representatives, last modified August 27, 2026, lists a median wage of USD 44,770 a year (USD 21.53 an hour) in May 2025. The typical entry requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent, with no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training of usually two to four weeks.
The largest employers by industry are retail trade (15 percent), insurance carriers (12 percent), business support services (8 percent), professional, scientific, and technical services (7 percent), and wholesale trade (6 percent). The handbook notes that many representatives work in call centers, some of which run around the clock, so early-morning, late-night, evening, weekend, and holiday work is common.
The numbers in one place
| Measure | Value in the handbook |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 2,666,000 jobs |
| Projected employment, 2035 | 2,524,100 jobs |
| Projected change, 2025 to 2035 | Minus 5 percent (about 141,800 jobs) |
| Average projected change, all occupations | Plus 3 percent |
| Projected openings per year | About 289,500, from replacement of workers who transfer or leave the labor force |
| Median pay, May 2025 | USD 44,770 a year |
The openings figure matters as much as the decline. Even in a shrinking occupation, large numbers of workers leave every year, so a lower headcount can be reached through fewer hires and attrition without mass layoffs. The handbook does not say how the decline will be distributed across employers.
What the handbook blames, and what it leaves out
For the outlook, BLS says automation is reducing demand for representatives, especially in retail trade, and that customers can now complete simple tasks through self-service systems, social media, and mobile applications without speaking to a person. It adds that technology will automate more over time, and that some companies will keep in-house service centers for complex matters such as refunds or confirming insurance coverage.
The text does not mention generative AI, large language models, or chatbots. A reader should therefore not take the 5 percent decline as a measured effect of AI chatbots. The projection continues a longer trend of self-service tools, and BLS does not separate the contribution of any one technology in the entry.
How BLS treats AI exposure
BLS publishes AI exposure categories alongside its projections, with four relative levels from low to very high. A "very high" occupation, in the agency's wording, is one where a larger share of tasks could be completed or assisted by AI than in other occupations, and where large language models have been observed performing some of them. The page states that exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability, or wage effects, and that high or very high exposure does not necessarily mean employment will decline.
Which category customer service representatives fall into could not be confirmed from the web page, since the assignments sit in a downloadable spreadsheet. The article therefore does not state it.
Reading the figures responsibly
- A projection is a ten-year estimate built on assumptions, and BLS revises it every year.
- A decline in an occupation can coexist with openings, with tasks shifting toward complex cases, and with new roles that are counted under other titles.
- The data cover the United States. Canadian outlooks for similar occupations were not reviewed for this article.
- Company announcements about replacing support staff with chatbots are not official statistics and were not used here.
FAQ
Is BLS saying chatbots will eliminate customer service jobs?
No. The handbook projects a 5 percent decline from 2025 to 2035 and cites automation and self-service in general. It does not name chatbots or AI as the cause.
How many customer service representatives are there in the United States?
BLS reports 2,666,000 jobs in 2025.
Will there still be job openings?
BLS projects about 289,500 openings a year over the decade, all from workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.
Does AI exposure mean a job will disappear?
BLS says it does not. The exposure categories compare occupations and do not forecast job loss, productivity change, or wages.
Related reading
- The GPT-powered chatbot experience
- GPT chatbots in customer support
- Building an AI-based chatbot
- AI in e-commerce
More in AI Tools and Industry.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Customer Service Representatives, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, last modified August 27, 2026
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) exposure categories, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, last modified August 27, 2026