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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Forklift Operators? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places forklift operators in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +1.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 64,700 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates forklift operators among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
62/100Higher than 88% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+1.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
64,700BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed forklift operators are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Forklift Operators land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Performing general physical activities4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Handling and moving objects4.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.7/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Repetitive motions4.2/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Documenting/recording information3.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Getting information3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for forklift operators

  • Manually or mechanically load or unload materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles.
  • Inspect product load for accuracy and safely move it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery.
  • Move levers or controls that operate lifting devices, such as forklifts, lift beams with swivel-hooks, hoists, or elevating platforms, to load, unload, transport, or stack material.
  • Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secure material or products for transport to designated areas.
  • Move controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +1.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 64,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 774,420 people work in the job today, at a median of $46,420 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full industrial truck and tractor operator profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers that are also low-exposure

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.

  1. Crane and Tower Operator

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $68,080median a year
    Growth
    +3.8%
    Openings / yr
    3,500
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    76/100
    resilience

    Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.

  2. Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $59,850median a year
    Growth
    +4.6%
    Openings / yr
    39,200
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    70/100
    resilience

    Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erec…

  3. Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator, Surface Mining

    Construction and Extraction

    Median pay
    $57,430median a year
    Growth
    +1.0%
    Openings / yr
    2,400
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    67/100
    resilience

    Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.

  4. Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $65,510median a year
    Growth
    +6.7%
    Openings / yr
    15,000
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    66/100
    resilience

    Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.

Will AI replace crane operators?Will AI replace heavy equipment operators?Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?

Questions

Will AI Replace Forklift Operators? FAQ

Will AI replace forklift operators?

Very unlikely. BLS rates forklift operators among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +1.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 64,700 openings a year.

How exposed are forklift operators to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Forklift Operators are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of an industrial truck and tractor operator's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repetitive motions, documenting/recording information and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, handling and moving objects and operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being an industrial truck and tractor operator a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, forklift operators score 62 out of 100, higher than 88% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $46,420 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to forklift operators are less exposed to AI?

Crane and Tower Operator (low exposure, $68,080 median), Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator (low exposure, $59,850 median), Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator, Surface Mining (low exposure, $57,430 median), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines (low exposure, $65,510 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.