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Survey enumerator

Also called enumerator, census taker, census clerk

Survey enumerators perform interviews and fill in forms in order to collect the data provided by interviewees. They can collect information by phone, mail, personal visits or on the street. They conduct and help the interviewees administer the information that the interviewer is interested in having, usually related to demographic information for governmental statistical purposes.

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.Customer services clerksWill AI change it?SignificantlyLevel 5 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Survey and market research interviewers · ILO

What you'd do

Survey and market research interviewers · ILO
  • Contacting individuals by telephone or in person and explaining the purpose of the interview
  • Asking questions following the outlines of questionnaires and surveys
  • Recording responses on paper or entering responses directly into a computer database through computer-assisted interviewing systems
  • Identifying and resolving inconsistencies in responses
  • Providing feedback to survey sponsors concerning problems in obtaining valid data
Use questioning techniquesCapture people's attentionPrepare survey reportAdhere to questionnairesTabulate survey results+ 5 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 most weeks
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan"

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 survey and market research interviewers, 3 a surplus.
Survey and market research interviewers · 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 statistics is the usual route.

Highest qualification of customer services clerks (EU, 2025)
Degree 39%Vocational 33%General secondary 19%Basic schooling 9%
Field that teaches it
Statistics
Vocational route, EU
Fewer than 1 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 0.55 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
Recording responses on paper or entering responses directly into a computer database through computer-assisted interviewing systems0.69
Asking questions following the outlines of questionnaires and surveys0.68
Providing feedback to survey sponsors concerning problems in obtaining valid data0.60
Identifying and resolving inconsistencies in responses0.42
Contacting individuals by telephone or in person and explaining the purpose of the interview0.35

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 survey and market research interviewers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).