← All 785 jobsFile 43-5053
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 5.3% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #565 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -5.3% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $58,470 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 101,200 in the US, with about 7,300 openings a year
The work, 12 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Process shipments or mail19%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Package objects13%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Operate computer systems or computerized equipment10%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 77 conversations, and it got them there 79% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance10%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 454 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Sort materials or products8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Mark materials or objects for identification7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others on operational or work procedures7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 348 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Distribute materials, supplies, or resources5%
AI does this in desk jobs, but in this one it is mostly hands-on.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect data about consumer needs or opinions3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 95 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 7,300 openings a year as people retire or move on.
BLS on AIMail sorting technology that reads and routes mail automatically reduces demand. Source ↗
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 37% of the workPackaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders0% AI does, against 7% here+4.1% by 2035 · $43,220 · High school diploma
- Shares 29% of the workGraders and Sorters, Agricultural Products0% AI does, against 7% here-3.4% by 2035 · $35,730 · No formal credential
- Shares 24% of the workMachine Feeders and Offbearers0% AI does, against 7% here-13.1% by 2035 · $41,220 · No formal credential
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.06, higher than 16% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 43-5053 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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