Mostly Resilient
Last Update: 8/30/2026
AI Resilience Score for Purchasing Agents (excl.):
57.6%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Med
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
High
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Most data sources align, with only minor variation. This is a well-supported result.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forPurchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
$77,710 median salary•47,200 annual openings•SOC Code: 13-1023.00
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products are somewhat more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 6 sources.
Purchasing agents are labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while AI is taking over the routine, repetitive parts of the job (like drafting purchase orders, researching catalogs, and sorting through supplier bids), the most important parts of the work still need a real person. Negotiating deals, building trust with suppliers, making ethical calls, and thinking strategically about what a company actually needs are skills that AI simply cannot replicate well right now.
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Purchasing agents are labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while AI is taking over the routine, repetitive parts of the job (like drafting purchase orders, researching catalogs, and sorting through supplier bids), the most important parts of the work still need a real person. Negotiating deals, building trust with suppliers, making ethical calls, and thinking strategically about what a company actually needs are skills that AI simply cannot replicate well right now.
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Purchasing Agents (excl.)
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Purchasing Agents (excl.) jobs?
Right now, AI is more often helping purchasing agents than replacing them — a pattern experts call "augmentation." At the Institute for Supply Management's ISM World 2026 conference [1], procurement executives from American Airlines, Toray Industries, and The Mosaic Company said they are launching small AI-agent pilots to review supplier bids and automate routine workflows, but that this is meant to take "grunt work" off buyers' plates rather than replace them. Common uses today, according to a 2026 industry review by Art of Procurement [2], include spend analytics, contract clause extraction, semi-automated sourcing, intake tools that turn a plain-English request like "I need a laptop" into a proper purchase order, and even AI negotiation bots for standard contract terms. The Hackett Group's 2026 Procurement Agenda, reported by Supply Chain 24/7 [3], found that more than 70% of procurement teams have adopted generative AI and more than half have deployed agentic AI, with early gains in cycle time and productivity.
Meanwhile, SupplyChainBrain reports that 2026 is being called "the year of AI agents" [4] for autonomous procurement tasks like PO creation and supplier follow-ups. So the record-keeping, catalog research, and PO-drafting tasks (rated 72–82% automatable in your list) are exactly what AI is starting to handle, while negotiation, supervision, and networking remain human-led.
How fast is AI adoption growing for Purchasing Agents (excl.)?
Adoption is moving quickly for a few reasons — but not as fast as the hype suggests. On the "faster" side, purchasing tools are already sold with AI features built in, and there's a real business need: Supply Chain 24/7 notes procurement workloads are projected to rise 8% in 2026 while headcount drops 0.9% [3], pushing teams to lean on AI to close the gap. On the "slower" side, procurement leaders at ISM World 2026 warned against heavy AI spending [1], urging small pilots and clear business cases first.
Data quality is another brake — Art of Procurement cites Gartner research showing 74% of procurement leaders say their data isn't AI-ready [2], and only about 4% of pilots reach meaningful deployment. That's why the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics still projects 6% employment growth for purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents from 2025 to 2035 [5] — faster than average — with about 53,600 openings per year. The takeaway: if you're considering this career, the routine parts of the job will keep getting automated, but the human skills that matter most — negotiation, supplier relationships, ethical judgment, and strategic thinking at trade shows and boardrooms — are exactly what employers still need people to do.
Sources
Will AI replace Purchasing Agents (excl.)?
No. We don't think AI will replace Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products, though we do expect the job to change.
Our 57.6% AI Resilience Score reflects a role that is shifting, not disappearing. AI is already handling the routine end of purchasing: drafting purchase orders, extracting contract clauses, analyzing spend data, and following up with suppliers [2]. More than 70% of procurement teams have adopted generative AI, with early gains in cycle time and productivity [3]. That part of the job is genuinely automating, and people entering this field should expect it.
What stays human is the core of what makes a good purchasing agent: negotiating with suppliers, building long-term vendor relationships, exercising ethical judgment on sourcing decisions, and thinking strategically when something goes wrong in the supply chain. Those skills are hard to replicate, and employers still need them.
The job market backs this up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, faster than average, with about 53,600 openings per year [5]. Procurement workloads are actually rising while headcount stays flat [3], which means people who can work alongside AI tools will be more valuable, not less. Learn the tools, keep the judgment.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Purchasing Agents (excl.)
These articles highlight the significant impact of AI on the career of Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products. For instance, the "AI Use-Case Compass" discusses how AI can enhance supply-chain efficiency and transform customer interactions, suggesting a shift towards more strategic roles for agents. Meanwhile, the "AI Risk for Purchasing Agents" article notes a high displacement risk, indicating the need for agents to adapt and enhance their skills to remain relevant. Embracing AI tools can foster resilience in this evolving job landscape.
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm ...
myjobrisk.com • 8/20/2026
The core tasks of analyzing price proposals, monitoring inventory, and reviewing financial reports are highly susceptible to AI automation and optimization.
AI Risk for Purchasing Agents: 74/100 Score - AI Job Checker
www.aijobchecker.com • 8/20/2026
Will AI replace Purchasing Agents Except Wholesale Retail And Farm Products? AI poses a high displacement risk, with a 74/100 score. Core tasks like purchase ... Read more
10 Procurement Job Roles Most Impacted by AI (2026 to ...
suplari.com • 8/20/2026
Jul 28, 2026 — Purchasing Agents (Except Retail/Farm) - 70% (High) estimated chance of role being reduced by AI. Purchasing agents who buy raw materials, MRO ...
Opinion | How AI is impacting 700 professions — and might impact yours
www.washingtonpost.com • 7/28/2025
Companies are rushing to embrace artificial intelligence to cut costs, increase efficiency and better understand this new technology.
AI Use-Case Compass — Retail & E-Commerce: Personalization at Planet Scale
medium.com • 6/5/2025
Hyper-targeted merchandising, supply-chain vision models, and storefront agents that transform browsers into loyalists.
More Career Info
Career: Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
They buy products and services for companies, making sure they get the best quality and prices to meet the company's needs.
Parent Careers
Similar Careers
Employment & Wage Data
* Data estimated from parent occupation
Median Wage
$77,710
Jobs (2025)
516,100
Growth (2025-35)
+6.0%
Annual Openings
47,200
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Interview vendors and visit suppliers' plants and distribution centers to examine and learn about products, services, and prices.
2
Attend meetings, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and seminars to network with people in other purchasing departments.
3
Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters.
4
Negotiate, renegotiate, and administer contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives.
5
Confer with staff, users, and vendors to discuss defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective action.
6
Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
7
Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
