NueCareer

AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Shipping Clerks? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places shipping clerks in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to fall by 7.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 61,300 openings a year.

Short answer

The job is exposed and shrinking. BLS rates the exposure as high and projects employment to fall, so expect fewer roles and more AI in the ones that remain.

BLS AI exposure
HighBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
44/100Higher than 49% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
-7.6%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
61,300BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed shipping clerks 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. Shipping Clerks land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.

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. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High · this job190 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

  • Face-to-face discussions4.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Performing general physical activities3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Handling and moving objects3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Dealing with the public4.2/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Repeating the same tasks4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Documenting/recording information3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Email4.8/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Getting information4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for shipping clerks

  • Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
  • Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
  • Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
  • Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
  • Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
  • Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.

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 -7.6% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 61,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 816,870 people work in the job today, at a median of $45,260 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full shipping, receiving, and inventory clerk profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than shipping clerks

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

  1. Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $40,240median a year
    Growth
    +1.8%
    Openings / yr
    340,500
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor.

  2. Stocker and Order Filler

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $37,330median a year
    Growth
    +8.9%
    Openings / yr
    430,700
    Education
    No formal credential
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders.

  3. Postal Service Mail Carrier

    Office and Administrative Support

    Median pay
    $60,550median a year
    Growth
    −0.3%
    Openings / yr
    19,600
    Education
    No formal credential
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    50/100
    resilience

    Sort and deliver mail for the United States Postal Service (USPS).

  4. Utility Meter Reader

    Office and Administrative Support

    Median pay
    $48,150median a year
    Growth
    −10.5%
    Openings / yr
    1,400
    Education
    High school
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    49/100
    resilience

    Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.

  5. Courier and Messenger

    Office and Administrative Support

    Median pay
    $39,200median a year
    Growth
    +8.0%
    Openings / yr
    23,800
    Education
    High school
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    46/100
    resilience

    Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or…

  6. Mail Clerk and Mail Machine Operator, Except Postal Service

    Office and Administrative Support

    Median pay
    $39,280median a year
    Growth
    −7.2%
    Openings / yr
    4,700
    Education
    High school
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    45/100
    resilience

    Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution.

Will AI replace warehouse workers?Will AI replace stockers and order fillers?Will AI replace postal service mail carriers?

Questions

Will AI Replace Shipping Clerks? FAQ

Will AI replace shipping clerks?

The job is exposed and shrinking. BLS rates the exposure as high and projects employment to fall, so expect fewer roles and more AI in the ones that remain. 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 fall by 7.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 61,300 openings a year.

How exposed are shipping clerks to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Shipping Clerks are in the high category, alongside 189 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 a shipping, receiving, and inventory clerk's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repeating the same tasks, documenting/recording information and email. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, performing general physical activities and handling and moving objects. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being a shipping, receiving, and inventory clerk a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, shipping clerks score 44 out of 100, higher than 49% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $45,260 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 shipping clerks are less exposed to AI?

Laborer and Freight, Stock, and Material Mover, Hand (low exposure, $40,240 median), Stocker and Order Filler (moderate exposure, $37,330 median), Postal Service Mail Carrier (moderate exposure, $60,550 median), Utility Meter Reader (moderate exposure, $48,150 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than shipping clerks, 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.