Career Explorer Office and admin
Human edge, steady
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Duties include verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material and arranging for the transportation of products. May prepare items for shipment.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 14% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by -7.6% by 2035, expected to shrink.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $45,260
- Job growth to 2035
- -7.6%
- Openings a year
- 61,300
- People doing it (2025)
- 828,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products
- Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Analyze data to improve operations
- Maintain operational records
- Stock supplies or products
What the work looks like
- Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
- Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
- Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
- Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
- Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as continued adoption of technologies increases the ability of workers to process shipped and received packages. The share decreases are partially offset by the increased demand for shipping and receiving services due to the increased online sales.
- Fewer of these jobs, as automated filling, bagging, packing, and palletizing equipment is used to track products.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Couriers and messengersHuman edge, growing, Index 66, +8.0%
- Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeepingHuman edge, steady, Index 30, -4.8%
- Semiconductor processing techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 87, +8.2%
- Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleanersHuman edge, steady, Index 70, +2.2%
Also known as: Receiver, Receiving Clerk, Shipper, Shipping Clerk, Materials Control Associate, Order Fulfillment Specialist, Receiving Associate, Receiving Coordinator.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.