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Customer service representative

Also called information clerk, information agent, service desk operator

Customer service representatives handle complaints and are responsible for maintaining overall goodwill between an organisation and its customers. They manage data regarding customer satisfaction and report it.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects29 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Customer services clerksWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,000 (Bulgaria) to €5,000 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Customer services clerksWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational5 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training. 4 in 10 train through vocational routes.Customer services clerksWill AI change it?SignificantlyLevel 5 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Inquiry clerks · ILO

What you'd do

Inquiry clerks · ILO
  • Answering inquiries about goods services, and policy and providing information about their availability, location, price and related issues
  • Responding to inquiries about problems and providing advice, information and assistance
  • Recording information about inquiries and complaints
  • Referring complex inquiries to team leaders or expert advisers
  • Issuing relevant forms, information kits and brochures to interested parties
Perform escalation procedureProcess order forms with customer's informationCommunicate with customersIdentify customer's needsGuarantee customer satisfaction+ 17 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Constant contact with people, including the public
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines every day
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Customer Service Representatives"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as customer services clerks in the EU
3.83m3.74m3.78m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
18,000 new jobs 1,067,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Customer services clerks29
All jobs29
Right now
5 of 27 countries report a shortage of inquiry clerks, 5 a surplus.
Inquiry clerks · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,000 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among clerical support workers in the EU, women earn 9% less per hour than men. Clerical support workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training in database and network design and administration is the usual route.

Highest qualification of customer services clerks (EU, 2025)
Degree 39%Vocational 33%General secondary 19%Basic schooling 9%
Fields that teach it
Database and network design and administration · Work skills
Vocational route, EU
4 in 10 trainees in this field

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Significantly

AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.57 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 5 tasks
Responding to inquiries about problems and providing advice, information and assistance0.67
Issuing relevant forms, information kits and brochures to interested parties0.66
Answering inquiries about goods services, and policy and providing information about their availability, location, price and related issues0.56
Recording information about inquiries and complaints0.52
Referring complex inquiries to team leaders or expert advisers0.47

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for inquiry clerks. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).