AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 43-5071.00

Will AI replace Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks?

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks: AI can already handle 10 of 11 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 11 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks, from most to least exposed. 10 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter. 90 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins. 90 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy. 80 Estimated Standard 4.2
Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications. 75 Estimated Standard 4.0
Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Determine shipping methods, routes, or rates for materials to be shipped. 75 Estimated Standard 3.8
Compute amounts, such as space available, shipping, storage, or demurrage charges, using computer or price list. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Compare shipping routes or methods to determine which have the least environmental impact. 75 Estimated Standard 3.7
Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 11 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 11 of 11. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 83% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
816,870
Median annual wage
$45,260
Middle half of earners
$38,200 to $51,570
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-7.7%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks and AI

Will AI replace Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks?

AI already handles 10 of the 11 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 73 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -7.7% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks?

73 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 11 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 11 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter; Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins; Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy. They are three of the 10 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 83% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks, and what do they earn?

816,870 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $45,260 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -7.7% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/shipping-receiving-and-inventory-clerks

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