Wholesale and Retail Buyers
(Except Farm Products)

Moderate Risk
49%

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Vote Comments (2)
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
57%
(Moderate Risk)
POLLING
41%
(Moderate Risk, Based on 44 votes)
Average: 49%
LABOR DEMAND *
GROWTH
7.1%
by year 2033
WAGES
$71,950
or $34.59 per hour
Volume
477,980
as of 2023

Employment data isn't available specifically for this occupation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so we are using the data from Buyers and Purchasing Agents.

SUMMARY
What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
6.2/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

People also viewed

Computer Programmers Lawyers Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Marketing Managers Web Developers

Calculated automation risk

57% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): Occupations with a moderate risk of automation usually involve routine tasks but still require some human judgment and interaction.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some very important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Negotiation

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Persuasion

  • Social Perceptiveness

  • Originality

User poll

41% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 57% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Growth

Fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Buyers and Purchasing Agents' job openings is expected to rise 7.1% by 2033

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Wages

High paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Buyers and Purchasing Agents' was $71,950, or $35 per hour

'Buyers and Purchasing Agents' were paid 49.7% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 477,980 people employed as 'Buyers and Purchasing Agents' within the United States.

This represents around 0.31% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 317 people are employed as 'Buyers and Purchasing Agents'.

Job description

Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. Analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of merchandise to determine value and yield. Select, order, and authorize payment for merchandise according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. May negotiate contracts. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.

SOC Code: 13-1022.00

Comments (2)

MS (Low)
05 Aug 2025 16:22
Whilst the gathering of data will be able to be done by AI, the analysis and application of it to decisions requires a human. Moreover, human qualities are required for the job, such as understanding what it is the customer wants, and the ability to maintain good relations with suppliers. Additionally, pricing and ranging decisions would not be fully understood by AI.
Gregory Wolff (Uncertain)
23 Dec 2019 13:49
Buying is a science and an art. It would be difficult for AI to have that feeling of a good deal or relationship with suppliers. It could happen but I do not believe so in my lifetime.
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