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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Retail Loss Prevention Specialists?
Task-level automation exposure for Retail Loss Prevention Specialists: 21 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
41%
weighted task index
21 of 21 tasks scored
Median Salary
$42,540 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
81,500 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.0%
employment change
22,600 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$26,680 – $88,960
Highest medians
New Hampshire $88,960
District of Columbia $88,570
Alabama $86,350
New Mexico $64,940
Wisconsin $57,620
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $26,680
Arkansas $31,270
Texas $33,500
Pennsylvania $34,320
Virginia $35,230
State figures come from the 33-9099 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 41%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 5%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 22%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 10%
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 36/100
Moderate
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
21 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) 30%
6 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 36%
7 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 35%
8 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 →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 05/2025 · AI/SME
Use drone technology for surveillance and loss prevention.
Constituent Tasks
#17561 · Core · 35% automatable
Investigate known or suspected internal theft, external theft, or vendor fraud.
decision support — AI aids analysis, investigation is human-led
Investigate crimes committed within organizations.
#17560 · Core · 45% automatable
Implement or monitor processes to reduce property or financial losses.
visual inspection — AI reviews logs; human observes operations on site
Monitor operations to ensure compliance with safety or security policies or regulations.
#17565 · Core · 60% automatable
Identify and report merchandise or stock shortages.
text generation — Relaying situation details is structured communication
Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
#17567 · Core · 80% automatable
Maintain documentation or reports on security-related incidents or investigations.
data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems
Maintain operational records.
#17575 · Core · 3% automatable
Apprehend shoplifters in accordance with guidelines.
physical manipulation — Physically apprehending suspects
Apprehend criminal suspects.
#17573 · Core · 20% automatable
Verify proper functioning of physical security systems, such as closed-circuit televisions, alarms, sensor tag systems, or locks.
visual inspection — Hands-on safety inspection of physical equipment
Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
#17578 · Core · 60% automatable
Identify and report safety concerns to maintain a safe shopping and working environment.
text generation — Relaying situation details is structured communication
Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
#17563 · Core · 45% automatable
Conduct store audits to identify problem areas or procedural deficiencies.
visual inspection — AI reviews logs; human observes operations on site
Monitor operations to ensure compliance with safety or security policies or regulations.
#17568 · Core · 45% automatable
Monitor compliance with standard operating procedures for loss prevention, physical security, or risk management.
visual inspection — AI reviews logs; human observes operations on site
Monitor operations to ensure compliance with safety or security policies or regulations.
#17566 · Core · 21% automatable
Inspect buildings, equipment, or access points to determine security risks.
visual inspection — Security/safety walkthrough requires physical presence
Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with security or safety regulations. Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
#17569 · Core · 35% automatable
Perform covert surveillance of areas susceptible to loss, such loading docks, distribution centers, or warehouses.
visual inspection — AI can watch camera feeds; human maintains physical surveillance
Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
#17570 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare written reports on investigations.
text generation — Incident reports drafted from facts; human reviews
Prepare investigation or incident reports.
#17562 · Core · 30% automatable
Collaborate with law enforcement agencies to report or investigate crimes.
interpersonal — Live incident response with agencies is human-led
Collaborate with law enforcement or security agencies to respond to incidents.
#17574 · Core · 15% automatable
Testify in civil or criminal court proceedings.
interpersonal — Testimony carries legal accountability and live presence
Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
#17579 · Core · 60% automatable
Recommend methods to reduce potential financial fraud losses.
decision support — Safety recommendations drafted; site verification human
Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.
#17572 · Core · 42% automatable
Train establishment personnel in loss prevention activities.
interpersonal — Live instruction and hands-on coaching require human presence
Train employees in proper work procedures.
#17577 · Core · 45% automatable
Coordinate with risk management, human resources, or other departments to assist in company programs, investigations, or training.
interpersonal — Program development with outside groups needs humans
Collaborate with outside groups to develop programs or projects.
#17580 · Core · 10% automatable
Respond to critical incidents, such as catastrophic events, violent weather, or civil disorders.
situated mobility — Emergency response needs physical action in the world
Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
#17571 · Core · 60% automatable
Recommend new or improved processes or equipment to reduce risk exposure.
decision support — Safety recommendations drafted; site verification human
Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.
#17564 · Core · 30% automatable
Direct work of contract security officers or other loss prevention agents.
interpersonal — Security operations direction is live human command
Direct security operations.
#17576 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Conduct employee background investigations and review reports with operational or human resources managers.
information retrieval — Records research aided; field investigation human
Investigate personal characteristics or activities of individuals.
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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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