Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
In short: today's best AI models could do about 29% 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 71% of the time, stays with people.
Weigh, measure, and check materials, supplies, and equipment for the purpose of keeping relevant records. Duties are primarily clerical by nature. Includes workers who collect and keep record of samples of products or materials.
53,300 people do this job in the US. $46,380 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 work7 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people28 h
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 5 hours, 7 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 28 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Review defects by worker (about 4 h, a person checks); Record shipping and production data (about 4 h); Verify shipments against paperwork (under an hour, a person checks).
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.
- 15%
- 15%
- 4%
- 2%
- 65%
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 29% 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, 4%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 29%. Today's estimate: 30%.
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, 0.021% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 331st largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 18 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0077% to none (released February and March 2025); 0.012% to 0.0046% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.023% to 0.021% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0077% | 561 of 708 | 2 of 18 |
| Released March 2025 | none | n/a | 0 of 18 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.012% | 440 of 655 | 1 of 18 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.0035% | 605 of 672 | 1 of 18 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.0046% | 579 of 677 | 1 of 18 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.023% | 322 of 434 | 1 of 18 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.021% | 331 of 447 | 1 of 18 |
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 69% of this job's working time as physical work. For 69% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 49% in a purpose-built cell, 20% in a structured facility. 0.89 of 3, the 182nd highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 31%
- In a purpose-built cell 49%
- In a structured facility 20%
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
71% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Clean and keep work areas, the hands-on work, 8%
- Review defects by worker, the hands-on work, 7%
- Examine products for defects, the hands-on work, 7%
- Weigh and measure products, the hands-on work, 6%
- Pull rejected stock and report it, the hands-on work, 5%
- Verify shipments against paperwork, the hands-on work, 5%
What becomes checking the machine
16% 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 13% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Review defects by worker, costly if wrong, 11%
- Verify shipments against paperwork, costly if wrong, 2%
- Examine products for defects, costly if wrong, 2%
- Run the scalehouse computer, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 65% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- 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: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Running AI inside the business systems. About 15% of the time is work inside business systems, which a model can do only once it is connected: knowing the systems well enough to set that up and watch it.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 15% 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.
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 . 18 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect products and examination records to determine the number of defects per worker and the reasons for examiners' rejections.Looking at the rejected products and the inspection records to count defects by worker and reason.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Elementary VisionStream / Elementary inspection stations (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 18% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Documents 60%, hands-on 40% | 60%Desk part half by now |
| Document quantity, quality, type, weight, test result data, and value of materials or products to maintain shipping, receiving, and production records and files.Entering quantities, weights, test results and values in the records.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Examine products or materials, parts, subassemblies, and packaging for damage, defects, or shortages, using specification sheets, gauges, and standards charts.Looking products and packaging over against the specification sheets and gauges.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, HxGN Robotic Automation inspection cells (Leica/absolute scanners) (Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence / ŠKODA AUTO) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 17 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Maintain, monitor, and clean work areas, such as recycling collection sites, drop boxes, counters and windows, and areas around scale houses.Cleaning the collection sites, counters and scalehouse surroundings.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Hytron (Primech AI) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Weigh or measure materials, equipment, or products to maintain relevant records, using volume meters, scales, rules, or calipers.Weighing and measuring with scales, rules and calipers, and noting the figures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Renishaw Equator gauging system with FANUC robot loading (Conroe Machine cell) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 8 min3 min to 25 min | Hands-on 80%, systems 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Compare product labels, tags, or tickets, shipping manifests, purchase orders, and bills of lading to verify accuracy of shipment contents, quality specifications, or weights.Checking the goods and their tags against the manifests, orders and bills of lading.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a structured facility, Pickle Robot unloading robots + Ambi Robotics AmbiStack (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Hands-on 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Remove from stock products or loads not meeting quality standards, and notify supervisors or appropriate departments of discrepancies or shortages.Pulling what fails and calling the supervisor about the shortfall.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Symbotic Distribution Solution (robotic depalletizing arms, case scanning tunnels, AS/RS bots) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Hands-on 70%, conversation 30% | Stays with people |
| Unload or unpack incoming shipments.Unloading and unpacking what comes in.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, FoxBot autonomous forklift (Fox Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Fill orders for products and samples, following order tickets, and forward or mail items.Picking the products and samples on the ticket and sending them out.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, On-Grid Robotic Pick (OGRP) (Ocado Group) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Sort products or materials into predetermined sequences or groupings for display, packing, shipping, or storage.Sorting products into their sequences and groups.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, MujinController mixed-SKU depalletizing system (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 17 min7 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Store samples of finished products in labeled cartons and record their location.Boxing and labeling the samples and recording where they are.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, JLS Automation Peregrine robotic cartoner (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Collect product samples and prepare them for laboratory analysis or testing.Taking the samples and readying them for testing.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Sentry ISOLOK SAE automatic sampler (point, strip and cross-cut samplers) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 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.
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers27% now, 27% by 2028
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks53% now, 53% by 2028
- Packers and Packagers, Hand7% now, 7% by 2028
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand9% now, 9% by 2028
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders1% 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 Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 30% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 30% 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 Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping 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: Review defects by worker (60% of the task's time now); Record shipping and production data (100% of the task's time now); and Verify shipments against paperwork (30% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Clean and keep work areas; Pull rejected stock and report it; and Unload shipments. Together such tasks are about 40% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping 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; reviewing work you did not do yourself; and running AI inside the business systems. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 71% of the working time stays with people, 16% 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 Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.021% went to this job's tasks, the 331st largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 18 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 Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 69% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 69% of the working time, 20% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.89 of 3. One example: Pickle Robot unloading robots + Ambi Robotics AmbiStack for "verify shipments against paperwork". 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 18 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.
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