Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Includes all manual laborers not elsewhere classified.
2,950,280 people do this job in the US. $40,240 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 11%
- 0%
- 89%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 4%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 11%. Today's estimate: 11%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain equipment storage areas to ensure that inventory is protected.Done daily by most who do it. | 25% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Move freight, stock, or other materials to and from storage or production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles, ships, or containers, by hand or using trucks, tractors, or other equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 21% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Install protective devices, such as bracing, padding, or strapping, to prevent shifting or damage to items being transported.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 16% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Sort cargo before loading and unloading.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Record numbers of units handled or moved, using daily production sheets or work tickets.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Read work orders or receive oral instructions to determine work assignments or material or equipment needs.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Assemble product containers or crates, using hand tools and precut lumber.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 42 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Adjust controls to guide, position, or move equipment, such as cranes, booms, or cameras.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Attach identifying tags to containers or mark them with identifying information.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Pack containers and re-pack damaged containers.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 33 min13 min to 58 min | Stays with people | |
| Carry needed tools or supplies from storage or trucks and return them after use.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Attach slings, hooks, or other devices to lift cargo and guide loads.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 15 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).