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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Postal Service Clerks?
Task-level automation exposure for Postal Service Clerks: 19 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
47%
weighted task index
19 of 19 tasks scored
Median Salary
$62,130 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
73,720 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-0.3%
employment change
5,300 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 54 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$57,820 – $68,810
Highest medians
Guam $68,810
District of Columbia $67,790
New Jersey $64,290
North Carolina $64,290
Virgin Islands $63,660
Lowest medians
North Dakota $57,820
Alaska $57,820
South Dakota $58,470
Montana $58,470
Oklahoma $59,490
State figures come from the 43-5051 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 47%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 15%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 34%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 24%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 12/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
19 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 40%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 23%
4 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 37%
7 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 07/2016 · Incumbent
Stock lobby with retail merchandise.
Constituent Tasks
#11322 · Core · 57% automatable
Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage.
data analysis — Shipping cost calculation from rates and weights
Weigh parcels to determine shipping costs. Calculate shipping costs.
#11326 · Core · 80% automatable
Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.
information retrieval — Cross-checks shipping docs against records and rules
Verify shipping documentation.
#11330 · Core · 12% automatable
Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.
physical manipulation — Sorting physical mail requires hands-on handling
Sort mail.
#11323 · Core · 50% automatable
Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail.
information retrieval — Drafting aided; authorized signature human
Obtain written authorization to perform activities.
#11327 · Core · 62% automatable
Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.
information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions
Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
#11338 · Core · 10% automatable
Transport mail from one work station to another.
situated mobility — Physical delivery of items in real environments
Deliver items.
#11325 · Supplemental · 34% automatable
Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.
physical manipulation — Handling cash/payment collection in person
Sell products or services. Collect deposits, payments or fees.
#11321 · Supplemental · 80% automatable
Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.
data analysis — Maintain financial records; human reconciles exceptions
Maintain financial or account records.
#11324 · Supplemental · 43% automatable
Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.
decision support — Coverage arranged via systems; judgment and liability human
Arrange insurance coverage. Prepare outgoing mail.
#11328 · Supplemental · 68% automatable
Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.
text generation — Compliance docs drafted; human owns regulatory accuracy
Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.
#11336 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.
physical manipulation — Receiving shipments is physical handling and inspection
Receive shipments.
#11333 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Put undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them, and complete any related documentation.
physical manipulation — Physically placing and storing items
Store items.
#11335 · Supplemental · 63% automatable
Respond to complaints regarding mail theft, delivery problems, and lost or damaged mail, filling out forms and making appropriate referrals for investigation.
decision support — Routing referrals from criteria; human confirms fit
Refer customers to appropriate personnel. Respond to customer problems or complaints.
#11329 · Supplemental · 72% automatable
Provide assistance to the public in complying with federal regulations of Postal Service and other federal agencies.
text generation — Drafting and completing forms with human review
Assist individuals with paperwork.
#11332 · Supplemental · 32% automatable
Rent post office boxes to customers.
interpersonal — Closing sales requires persuasion and accountability
Sell products or services.
#11334 · Supplemental · 72% automatable
Provide customers with assistance in filing claims for mail theft, or lost or damaged mail.
text generation — Drafting and completing forms with human review
Assist individuals with paperwork.
#11337 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Feed mail into postage canceling devices or hand stamp mail to cancel postage.
physical manipulation — Physical loading of materials or equipment
Load materials or equipment.
#11331 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Cash money orders.
data analysis — Financial execution software-mediated; authorization human
Execute sales or other financial transactions.
#20905 · Supplemental · 75% automatable
Order retail items and other supplies for office use.
decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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