Stockers and Order Fillers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 19% 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 81% of the time, stays with people.
Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays.
2,833,810 people do this job in the US. $37,330 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on6 h
- A person checks AI's work2 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people32 h
Stockers and Order Fillers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 6 hours, 2 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 32 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Decide storage methods and locations (about 1 h); Requisition merchandise from suppliers (about 1 h, a person checks); Recommend disposal of excess stock (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.
- 11%
- 8%
- 0%
- 4%
- 76%
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 19% 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, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 19%. Today's estimate: 19%.
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, 0.064% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 217th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 2 of its 30 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.017% to 0.0046% (released February and March 2025); 0.028% to 0.043% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.057% to 0.064% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.017% | 462 of 708 | 3 of 30 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0046% | 593 of 703 | 1 of 30 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.028% | 325 of 655 | 2 of 30 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.037% | 284 of 672 | 4 of 30 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.043% | 270 of 677 | 4 of 30 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.057% | 223 of 434 | 2 of 30 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.064% | 217 of 447 | 2 of 30 |
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 86% of this job's working time as physical work. For 86% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 70% in a purpose-built cell, 16% in a structured facility. 1.01 of 3, the 110th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 14%
- In a purpose-built cell 70%
- In a structured facility 16%
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
80% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Stock shelves and racks, the hands-on work, 10%
- Receive and unpack merchandise, the hands-on work, 10%
- Store items in order, the hands-on work, 7%
- Pack and unpack stock, the hands-on work, 7%
- Receive, count and record stock, the hands-on work, 5%
- Operate forklifts, the hands-on work, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
3% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 16% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Requisition merchandise from suppliers, costly if wrong, 3%
- Check shipments against invoices, costly if wrong, 0.7%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 76% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 11% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
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 . 30 tasks from . 2 have a worked example.
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock shelves, racks, cases, bins, and tables with new or transferred merchandise.Shelving by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Vulcan (Amazon Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise.Unloading and unpacking by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Symbotic case-handling system (depalletizing, singulation, storage, palletizing) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Store items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses, tool rooms, supply rooms, or other areas.Putting stock away by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, VEENY VNA robot / LOWY CB autonomous stacker (Balyo) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 29 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Pack and unpack items to be stocked on shelves in stockrooms, warehouses, or storage yards.Handling goods.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, PRODecant Solution (DLN Integrated Systems) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Receive and count stock items, and record data manually or on computer.Counting goods by hand, then entering the counts.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Simbe Tally (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Design and set up advertising signs and displays of merchandise on shelves, counters, or tables to attract customers and promote sales.Building displays by hand, with some design.Done more than weekly by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Number1 Logistics Group display-building line (Comau NJ40 + NS12 robots, Siscodata integration) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Take inventory or examine merchandise to identify items to be reordered or replenished.Counting on the shelves, with a list of what is short.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Tally (Simbe Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Hands-on 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Determine proper storage methods, identification, and stock location, based on turnover, environmental factors, and physical capabilities of facilities.A plan for where stock goes, with a walk of the space.Done daily by most who do it. See it done: one graded attempt (passes) | 4% | 29 min13 min to 1.3 h | Documents 80%, hands-on 20% | 80%Desk part half by now |
| Operate equipment such as forklifts.Driving a forklift, which takes a certified operator.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a structured facility, Fox Robotics FoxBot Mk3 (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Recommend disposal of excess, defective, or obsolete stock.Looking the stock over, then a written recommendation.Done more than weekly by most who do it. See it done: one graded attempt (passes) | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Documents 50%, hands-on 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Mark stock items, using identification tags, stamps, electric marking tools, or other labeling equipment.Tagging and stamping by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Weber Marking Systems Legi-Air 6000 label printer-applicator (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Requisition merchandise from supplier, based on available space, merchandise on hand, customer demand, or advertised specials.Working out what to order, then entering the requisition.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Documents 50%, systems 50% | 100%Half by now |
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.
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks53% now, 53% by 2028
- Counter and Rental Clerks23% now, 23% by 2028
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping30% now, 30% by 2028
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand9% now, 9% by 2028
- Retail Salespersons23% now, 23% by 2028
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators1% now, 1% 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 Stockers and Order Fillers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 19% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 19% 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 Stockers and Order Fillers 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: Decide storage methods and locations (80% of the task's time now); Requisition merchandise from suppliers (100% of the task's time now); and Recommend disposal of excess stock (50% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Stockers and Order Fillers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Stock shelves and racks; Receive and unpack merchandise; and Store items in order. Together such tasks are about 59% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Stockers and Order Fillers 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; briefing a model and checking its drafts; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 80% of the working time stays with people, 3% becomes checking a model's work and 16% 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 Stockers and Order Fillers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.064% went to this job's tasks, the 217th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 2 of its 30 tasks appeared. 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 Stockers and Order Fillers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 86% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 86% of the working time, 16% in a structured facility. Its index is 1.01 of 3. One example: Simbe Tally for "receive, count and record stock". 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 30 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 September 30, 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. The Work Bench has 2 worked examples of its tasks: a brief, a rubric written beforehand, one attempt by an AI model and its grade.
This job in your state or metro area
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