Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
In short: today's best AI models could do about 13% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 87% of the time, stays with people.
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Time-stamp, open, read, sort, and route incoming mail; and address, seal, stamp, fold, stuff, and affix postage to outgoing mail or packages. Duties may also include keeping necessary records and completed forms.
55,230 people do this job in the US. $39,280 a year.
Reviewed on October 18, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on5 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people35 h
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 5 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 35 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Key routing codes at the sorter (about 1 h); Choose mailing method and prepare mail (under an hour); Check items before processing (under an hour).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 8%
- 5%
- 1%
- 4%
- 82%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 13% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
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, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 13%. Today's estimate: 13%.
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.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 29 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0081% to none (released February and March 2025).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0081% | 552 of 708 | 2 of 29 |
| Released March 2025 | none | n/a | 0 of 29 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | none | n/a | 0 of 29 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 29 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 29 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 29 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 29 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 89% of this job's working time as physical work. For 88% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 74% in a purpose-built cell, 14% in a structured facility. 1.01 of 3, the 112th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 11%
- No robot shown 1%
- In a purpose-built cell 74%
- In a structured facility 14%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
86% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Sort and deliver mail, the hands-on work, 14%
- Sort mail into sacks and bins, the hands-on work, 7%
- Mail samples and literature, the hands-on work, 5%
- Choose mailing method and prepare mail, the hands-on work, 5%
- Check items before processing, the hands-on work, 5%
- Seal or open envelopes, the hands-on work, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
No desk work within reach by then in tasks where a mistake costs something. Another 13% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 82% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 29 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sort and route incoming mail, and collect outgoing mail, using carts as necessary.Sorting the incoming mail and walking the cart round to collect and deliver.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, OPEX Mail Matrix (iBOT robotic sorter) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 14% | 33 min17 min to 58 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Place incoming or outgoing letters or packages into sacks or bins based on destination or type, and place identifying tags on sacks or bins.Sorting pieces by destination into sacks and bins, with tags on each.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, AmbiSort A-Series (Ambi Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Determine manner in which mail is to be sent, and prepare it for delivery to mailing facilities.Deciding how each piece goes and readying it for the mailing facility.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Pitney Bowes SendPro MailCenter (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Hands-on 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.Looking each item over for its address, postage and condition.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, OPEX Mail Matrix (with iBOT vehicles, MLOCR, DRS directory retrieval) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Mail merchandise samples or promotional literature in response to requests.Packing and mailing the samples and literature people asked for.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Quadient DS-180i folder inserter (with in-line metering) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 80%, systems 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Weigh packages or letters to determine postage needed, using weighing scales and rate charts.Weighing each piece and reading the rate from the chart.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Quadient iX-9 Series franking machine with Dynamic Weighing Module (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 10 min4 min to 21 min | Hands-on 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Operate computer-controlled keyboards or voice recognition equipment to direct items according to established routing schemes.Keying or speaking each item's destination at the console as it passes.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Systems 70%, hands-on 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Seal or open envelopes, by hand or by using machines.Sealing and opening envelopes by hand or by machine.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Quadient DS-series folder inserters (DS-40i, DS-64i, DS-75i, DS-67iQ) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 10 min4 min to 21 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations.Lifting containers onto the equipment that carries them to sorting.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Stretch (Boston Dynamics) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Affix postage to packages or letters by hand, or stamp materials, using postage meters.Stamping or metering each piece.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Pitney Bowes SendPro MailCenter (Weigh-on-the-Way) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Read production orders to determine types and sizes of items scheduled for printing and mailing.Reading the order for the items and sizes of the run; the knowing is the operator's own.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Remove from machines printed materials, such as labeled articles, postmarked envelopes or tape, and folded sheets.Taking the labeled, postmarked and folded pieces off the machines.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a structured facility, OttoMATE Trayer cobot (on BlueCrest inserter workcells) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | 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. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% 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.
- Postal Service Clerks19% now, 19% by 2028
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators1% now, 1% by 2028
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks53% now, 53% by 2028
- Postal Service Mail Carriers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Couriers and Messengers7% now, 7% by 2028
- Data Entry Keyers80% now, 80% by 2028
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).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 13% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 13% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Key routing codes at the sorter (70% of the task's time now); Choose mailing method and prepare mail (30% of the task's time now); and Check items before processing (30% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Sort and deliver mail; Sort mail into sacks and bins; and Seal or open envelopes. Together such tasks are about 60% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 86% of the working time stays with people, 0% becomes checking a model's work and 13% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 89% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 88% of the working time, 14% in a structured facility. Its index is 1.01 of 3. One example: Stretch for "unload mail containers". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 29 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 18, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
This job in your state or metro area
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
Your own version of this job
The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
The full personal report is $19, to print or save as a PDF: every task with when it comes within reach, which ones your description names, the parts of your description the task list does not cover, what stays with you, what becomes checking the machine and what to learn.