AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Stockers and Order Fillers?

Task-level automation exposure for Stockers and Order Fillers: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

32% weighted task index

30 of 30 tasks scored

Median Salary

$37,330 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Very High

2,833,810 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+8.9% employment change

430,700 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.

$22,910 – $44,620

Highest medians

Washington $44,620

Oregon $43,480

California $42,870

Colorado $42,350

Connecticut $40,590

Lowest medians

Guam $22,910

Puerto Rico $25,030

Virgin Islands $28,130

Mississippi $34,270

Alabama $34,290

State figures come from the 53-7065 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 32%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 46%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 9%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 20%

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 13/100 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

30 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) 26%

8 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 14%

4 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 60%

18 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 →

Constituent Tasks

#23885 · Core · 62% automatable

Take inventory or examine merchandise to identify items to be reordered or replenished.

data analysis — System inventory monitoring automatable; physical audit human

Monitor inventories of products or materials.

#23877 · Core · 50% automatable

Answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection.

interpersonal — Customer dialogue needs live presence and adaptation

Discuss goods or services information with customers or patrons.

#23878 · Core · 20% automatable

Receive and count stock items, and record data manually or on computer.

physical manipulation — Receiving shipments is physical handling and inspection

Receive shipments.

#23900 · Core · 12% automatable

Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise.

physical manipulation — Receiving shipments is physical handling and inspection

Unload materials or equipment. Receive shipments.

#23880 · Core · 10% automatable

Stock shelves, racks, cases, bins, and tables with new or transferred merchandise.

physical manipulation — Hands-on stocking of merchandise

Stock supplies or merchandise.

#23874 · Core · 7% automatable

Pack and unpack items to be stocked on shelves in stockrooms, warehouses, or storage yards.

physical manipulation — Hands-on stocking of merchandise

Unload materials or equipment. Stock supplies or merchandise.

#23884 · Core · 12% automatable

Mark stock items, using identification tags, stamps, electric marking tools, or other labeling equipment.

physical manipulation — Attaching tags to containers is physical

Attach identification information to products, items or containers.

#23875 · Core · 10% automatable

Store items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses, tool rooms, supply rooms, or other areas.

physical manipulation — Physically placing and storing items

Store items.

#23897 · Core · 75% automatable

Requisition merchandise from supplier, based on available space, merchandise on hand, customer demand, or advertised specials.

decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend

Order materials, supplies, or equipment.

#23881 · Core · 35% automatable

Compare merchandise invoices to items actually received to ensure that shipments are correct.

visual inspection — AI can cross-check orders; physical verification human

Inspect shipments to ensure correct order fulfillment.

#23872 · Core · 5% automatable

Obtain merchandise from bins or shelves.

physical manipulation — Manual packing for shipping

Package objects for shipping.

#23886 · Core · 28% automatable

Issue or distribute materials, products, parts, and supplies to customers or coworkers, based on information from incoming requisitions.

physical manipulation — Physically distributing materials to people

Distribute materials to employees or customers.

#23873 · Core · 78% automatable

Read orders to ascertain catalog numbers, sizes, colors, and quantities of merchandise.

information retrieval — Extract material requirements from work orders

Read work orders to determine material or setup requirements.

#23893 · Core · 62% automatable

Recommend disposal of excess, defective, or obsolete stock.

decision support — Drafts advice; accountability and context owned by human

Advise others on business or operational matters.

#23892 · Core · 5% automatable

Clean and maintain supplies, tools, equipment, and storage areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations.

physical manipulation — Physical cleaning of facilities and equipment

Clean facilities or equipment.

#23891 · Core · 40% automatable

Dispose of damaged or defective items, or return them to vendors.

text generation — Sending digital materials automatable; physical mailing human

Remove debris or damaged materials. Send information, materials or documentation.

#23894 · Core · 80% automatable

Keep records on the use or damage of stock or stock-handling equipment.

data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems

Maintain operational records.

#23887 · Core · 10% automatable

Provide assistance or direction to other stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard workers.

physical manipulation — Hands-on stocking of merchandise

Stock supplies or merchandise.

#23898 · Core · 15% automatable

Determine proper storage methods, identification, and stock location, based on turnover, environmental factors, and physical capabilities of facilities.

physical manipulation — Physical filing and storage of records

Store records or related materials.

#23876 · Core · 25% automatable

Examine and inspect stock items for wear or defects, reporting any damage to supervisors.

visual inspection — Defect inspection of physical items needs presence

Inspect items for damage or defects.

#23888 · Core · 5% automatable

Clean display cases, shelves, and aisles.

physical manipulation — Physical cleaning of facilities and equipment

Clean facilities or equipment.

#23896 · Supplemental · 82% automatable

Compute prices of items or groups of items.

data analysis — Cost calculation from structured inputs

Calculate costs of goods or services.

#23899 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Operate equipment such as forklifts.

situated mobility — Driving forklifts requires real-world navigation and control

Operate forklifts or other loaders.

#23882 · Supplemental · 59% automatable

Itemize and total customer merchandise selection at checkout counter, using cash register, and accept cash or charge card for purchases.

data analysis — Cost calculation from structured inputs

Calculate costs of goods or services. Collect deposits, payments or fees.

#23883 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Transport packages to customers' vehicles.

situated mobility — Physical delivery of items in real environments

Deliver items.

#23879 · Supplemental · 12% automatable

Stamp, attach, or change price tags on merchandise, referring to price list.

physical manipulation — Attaching tags to containers is physical

Attach identification information to products, items or containers.

#23890 · Supplemental · 5% automatable

Pack customer purchases in bags or cartons.

physical manipulation — Manual packing for shipping

Package objects for shipping.

#23889 · Supplemental · 6% automatable

Design and set up advertising signs and displays of merchandise on shelves, counters, or tables to attract customers and promote sales.

physical manipulation — Setting up displays requires hands-on placement

Set up merchandise displays.

#23871 · Supplemental · 68% automatable

Complete order receipts.

text generation — Compliance docs drafted; human owns regulatory accuracy

Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.

#23895 · Supplemental · 85% automatable

Keep records of out-going orders.

data analysis — Record shipping information into structured fields

Record shipping information.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

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

See the full method →

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