Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Office and administrative support / 43-9061.00

Office Clerks, General

Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring knowledge of office systems and procedures. Clerical duties may be assigned in accordance with the office procedures of individual establishments and may include a combination of answering telephones, bookkeeping, typing or word processing, office machine operation, and filing.

US jobs
2,464,940
Median wage
$45,010 a year
Job family
Office and administrative support

Can agents do the work of office clerks, general?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Office and administrative support:

  • Task levelStrongOn computer-use and office-task benchmarks, top agents pass most tasks: 90.2% on OSWorld-Verified (humans: 72.4%), 83.1% on SpreadsheetBench, and 63.3% on WorkArena L1 under the standard protocol. Limits: many top entries are self-submitted and not re-run by the maintainers, and on TheAgentCompany's multi-step workplace tasks the best agent resolves 42.9%.
  • Project levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, but GDPval tasks are one-shot and fully specified. No benchmark in our collection tests multi-day administrative work, such as running a calendar or a purchasing process.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in office and administrative support, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers.
  • Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages.
  • Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints.
  • Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.
  • Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities.
  • Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests.
  • Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail.
  • Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.
  • Complete work schedules, manage calendars, and arrange appointments.
  • Type, format, proofread, and edit correspondence and other documents, from notes or dictating machines, using computers or typewriters.
  • Inventory and order materials, supplies, and services.
  • Deliver messages and run errands.
Other job titles for this occupation (80)

Administrative Clerk (Admin Clerk) · Clerical Aide · Clerical Assistant · Clerk · General Clerk · Office Assistant · Office Clerk · Office Services Specialist · Office Support Assistant · Administration Clerk · Administrative Support Specialist · Administrative Technician (Admin Tech) · Agent-Licensing Clerk · Animal Hospital Clerk · Animal Shelter Clerk · Attendance Clerk · Auction Assistant · Audit Control Clerk · Automobile Contract Clerk · Bilingual Office Assistant · Blood Bank Calendar Control Clerk · Blood Bank Credit Clerk · Blood Donor Unit Assistant · Board Attendant · Broadcast Checker · Call Center Specialist · Car Distributor · Chart Clerk · Charter · Circulation Clerk · Clerical Dentist Assistant · Clerical Office Worker · Code and Test Clerk · Congressional District Aide · Copyright Expert · Credit Card Clerk · Credit Card Control Clerk · Data Examination Clerk · Desk Clerk · Document Coordinator · Document Examiner · Document Processor · Election Clerk · Examination Proctor · Field Assistant · Field Clerk · Field Representative · Fingerprint Clerk · Floor Clerk · Floor Space Allocator · Front Office Assistant · Front Office Clerk · General Office Clerk · General Office Worker · Government Clerk · Grading Clerk · Greige Goods Marker · Health Unit Coordinator · History Card Clerk · Identification Clerk · Insurance Clerk · Laboratory Clerk · Laundry Clerk · Lost and Found Clerk · Lost Charge Card Clerk · Map Clerk · Marketing Clerk · Media Clerk · Melter Clerk · Office Administrative Assistant (Office Admin Assistant) · Office Aide · Office Associate · Office Automation Clerk · Office Clerical Helper · Office Employee · Office Helper · Office Worker · Order Caller · Police Aide · Police Clerk