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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers?
Task-level automation exposure for Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
36%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$39,390 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
165,220 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+2.7%
employment change
17,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$27,520 – $48,780
Highest medians
Washington $48,780
California $47,010
Alaska $46,530
Maine $45,750
Minnesota $45,730
Lowest medians
Virgin Islands $27,520
Puerto Rico $29,400
Mississippi $33,040
Tennessee $34,500
Louisiana $34,860
State figures come from the 27-1026 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 36%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 45%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 28%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 3%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 7/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
24 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 17%
4 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 38%
9 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 45%
11 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#9263 · Core · 58% automatable
Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers.
text generation — Promotional strategy drafted; human tailors and approves
Develop promotional strategies or plans.
#9269 · Core · 6% automatable
Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#9265 · Core · 6% automatable
Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#9264 · Core · 6% automatable
Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#20752 · Core · 58% automatable
Consult with store managers, buyers, sales associates, housekeeping staff, or engineering staff to determine appropriate placement of displays or products.
interpersonal — Ongoing production discussion requires shared human context
Discuss production content and progress with others.
#20753 · Core · 70% automatable
Maintain props, products, or mannequins, inspecting them for imperfections, doing touch-ups, cleaning up after customers, or applying preservative coatings as necessary.
data analysis — Materials inventory records and forecasting automatable
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
#9267 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop ideas or plans for merchandise displays or window decorations.
text generation — Concepts generated; commercial curation human
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
#20754 · Core · 6% automatable
Assemble or set up displays, furniture, or products in store space, using colors, lights, pictures, or other accessories to display the product.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#9281 · Core · 6% automatable
Install booths, exhibits, displays, carpets, or drapes, as guided by floor plan of building or specifications.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#9275 · Core · 50% automatable
Select themes, lighting, colors, or props to be used.
decision support — Prop selection depends on creative and physical context
Select materials or props.
#9268 · Core · 55% automatable
Consult with advertising or sales staff to determine type of merchandise to be featured and time and place for each display.
interpersonal — Marketing collaboration mixes creative and relational work
Collaborate with others in marketing activities.
#9276 · Core · 82% automatable
Attend training sessions or corporate planning meetings to obtain new ideas for product launches.
information retrieval — AI tracks trends across sources continuously
Monitor current trends.
#9271 · Core · 55% automatable
Collaborate with others to obtain products or other display items.
interpersonal — Marketing collaboration mixes creative and relational work
Collaborate with others in marketing activities.
#9270 · Core · 6% automatable
Construct or assemble displays or display components from fabric, glass, paper, or plastic, using hand tools or woodworking power tools, according to specifications.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#9266 · Core · 58% automatable
Obtain plans from display designers or display managers and discuss their implementation with clients or supervisors.
interpersonal — Ongoing production discussion requires shared human context
Discuss production content and progress with others.
#9262 · Core · 18% automatable
Take photographs of displays or signage.
physical manipulation — Camera operation requires physical framing and handling
Operate still or video cameras or related equipment.
#9273 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Dress mannequins for displays.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#20755 · Supplemental · 42% automatable
Supervise or train staff members on daily tasks, such as visual merchandising.
interpersonal — Work-process coaching requires live human interaction
Train others on work processes.
#20756 · Supplemental · 78% automatable
Store, pack, and maintain inventory records of props, products, or display items.
data analysis — Maintain files and records in structured systems
Maintain records, documents, or other files. Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
#9272 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Use computers to produce signage.
visual inspection — AI aids illustrations; precise technical drawing human
Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
#9279 · Supplemental · 27% automatable
Prepare sketches, floor plans, or models of proposed displays.
visual inspection — AI aids illustrations; precise technical drawing human
Draw detailed or technical illustrations. Build models, patterns, or templates.
#9277 · Supplemental · 42% automatable
Instruct sales staff in color coordination of clothing racks or counter displays.
interpersonal — Work-process coaching requires live human interaction
Train others on work processes.
#9282 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Install decorations, such as flags, banners, festive lights, or bunting on or in building, street, exhibit hall, or booth.
physical manipulation — Arranging props is physical placement work
Arrange artwork, products, or props.
#9280 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Cut out designs on cardboard, hardboard, or plywood, according to motif of event.
physical manipulation — Crafting physical objects is manual artisan work
Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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