Counter service assistant

174.6K UK workers · typical pay £18,000 · entry route GCSEs grades 4-9 (A*-C). Projected headcount change: -3% to 2035.

How AI is actually used here · measured · Anthropic Economic Index

Thin signal. Only 15% of the Claude usage mapped to this job is actual work. The rest is personal or study use of the same skills. Read the figures below as indicative, not precise.

29%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

3.8×

Time compression

~1.1h → ~17min

2.49/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

71%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 57.1%task iteration 19.7%feedback loop 13.2%learning 7.2%validation 1.5%unclassified 1.3%

What people make with AI here

recipe / meal plan33%explanation / answer22%advice / recommendation11%

Real Claude.ai usage mapped to this occupation's SOC group, Apr+May 2026, CC-BY. Claude users only; task times model-estimated; augment/automate is how AI is used, not a count of jobs lost. Method →

Facts · ONS + NCS

UK workers (2024)

174.6K

Median pay

£18.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

3 / 10

Elasticity

2.5 / 10

2035 outlook

-3%

Exposure · 3/10

Why AI can do the work

While AI-powered kiosks and mobile ordering apps are increasingly automating the ordering and payment tasks, the core of the role involves physical food handling, hygiene maintenance, and manual service. The requirement for physical presence in a 'hot and noisy' environment to manage stock and serve customers provides a significant buffer against full AI automation.

Elasticity · 2.5/10

Gated by population

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Demand is capped by the physical capacity of customers to consume food and the fixed number of meal-time windows in a day.

Trajectory to 2035