Short answer
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Stockers and Order Fillers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places stockers and order fillers in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +8.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 430,700 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 57/100Higher than 78% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +8.9%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 430,700BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed stockers and order fillers 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. Stockers and Order Fillers land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
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
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- 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.
- 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 activities3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.3/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Handling and moving objects4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Hands-on work with tools and objects4.3/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Repeating the same tasks3.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repetitive motions4.3/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Being exact or highly accurate3.5/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for stockers and order fillers
- Pack and unpack items to be stocked on shelves in stockrooms, warehouses, or storage yards.
- Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise.
- Stock shelves, racks, cases, bins, and tables with new or transferred merchandise.
- Store items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses, tool rooms, supply rooms, or other areas.
- Clean display cases, shelves, and aisles.
- Obtain merchandise from bins or shelves.
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 +8.9% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 430,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 2,833,810 people work in the job today, at a median of $37,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full stocker and order filler profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than stockers and order fillers
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.
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.
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendant
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $35,670median a year
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 12,900
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 64/100
- resilience
Service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories.
Sailor and Marine Oiler
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $51,520median a year
- Growth
- +3.2%
- Openings / yr
- 3,600
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 63/100
- resilience
Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot.
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operator
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $46,420median a year
- Growth
- +1.5%
- Openings / yr
- 64,700
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 62/100
- resilience
Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $35,830median a year
- Growth
- +3.9%
- Openings / yr
- 51,500
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 61/100
- resilience
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker
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
- 60/100
- resilience
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling.
Questions
Will AI Replace Stockers and Order Fillers? FAQ
Will AI replace stockers and order fillers?
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. 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 +8.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 430,700 openings a year.
How exposed are stockers and order fillers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Stockers and Order Fillers are in the moderate category, alongside 193 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 stocker and order filler'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, repetitive motions and getting information. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, face-to-face discussions 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 stocker and order filler a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, stockers and order fillers score 57 out of 100, higher than 78% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $37,330 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 stockers and order fillers are less exposed to AI?
Crane and Tower Operator (low exposure, $68,080 median), Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendant (low exposure, $35,670 median), Sailor and Marine Oiler (low exposure, $51,520 median), Industrial Truck and Tractor Operator (low exposure, $46,420 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than stockers and order fillers, 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.