Packers and Packagers, Hand

Packers and Packagers, Hand score 10 out of 100, which is low exposure to AI. That ranks #750 of 923 US occupations, where #1 is the most exposed. Of the 12 tasks in this job, AI could speed up 1 on its own and 0 more with extra software built on top of it. In April–May 2026, 3 of these tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant.

10/ 100

Low

Rank: #750of 923 jobs
US workers: 559,820BLS, May 2025
Median pay: $36,280a year
In real AI use: 3 of 12tasks, April–May 2026

Free report

Follow how AI is changing packers and packagers, hand work.

Subscribe to the weekly report and get The AI Job Exposure Report (PDF) right away: the most and least exposed jobs, exposure by field, and the AI-resilient jobs that pay well.

Free · one email a week · unsubscribe anytime

Task by task

Each task this job involves, as listed by O*NET, rated on whether a large language model like GPT-4 could cut the time it takes by at least half at the same quality. Tasks marked Seen in real AI use appeared in conversations with Claude in April–May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index).

AI can speed this up on its own: 1 (8%)
AI can speed this up with extra software: 0 (0%)
Little or no AI speed-up: 11 (92%)

Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records.AI can speed this up on its own · core task · Seen in real AI use
Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Measure, weigh, and count products and materials.Little or no AI speed-up · core task · Seen in real AI use
Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Obtain, move, and sort products, materials, containers, and orders, using hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task · Seen in real AI use
Mark and label containers, container tags, or products, using marking tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas, using cleaning solutions and hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Remove completed or defective products or materials, placing them on moving equipment, such as conveyors, or in specified areas, such as loading docks.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Place or pour products or materials into containers, using hand tools and equipment, or fill containers from spouts or chutes.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Load materials and products into package processing equipment.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Transport packages to customers' vehicles.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task

What you can do about it

Get a personal plan for what to learn next.

Skill Half Life turns this score into a 90-day plan for your situation: your realistic options, the skills that carry over, and training that fits your time and budget. Coming soon.

See your options

Similar jobs, lower exposure

Related occupations that score at least 10 points lower.

Other jobs in this field

Transportation and Material Moving occupations close to this one.

All transportation and material moving jobs and AI

Questions about packers and packagers, hand and AI

Will AI replace packers and packagers, hand?

Unlikely. Most of the work is hard for today's AI to speed up. Packers and Packagers, Hand score 10 out of 100 (low exposure), #750 of 923 US jobs. AI could speed up 1 of the job's 12 tasks, 1 of them on its own, while 11 see little or no speed-up. Exposure means the work is likely to change, not that the job will disappear.

Which packers and packagers, hand tasks can AI do?

The most exposed tasks include "Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records".

Which packers and packagers, hand tasks are hardest for AI?

Tasks with little or no AI speed-up include "Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met"; "Measure, weigh, and count products and materials"; "Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools".

Are people already using AI for this work?

Yes. In April–May 2026, 3 of the 12 tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude, according to the Anthropic Economic Index.

How many people work as packers and packagers, hand, and what do they earn?

About 559,820 people in the US, with median pay of $36,280 a year (BLS, May 2025).

How to read this score. Exposure measures how much of the work AI could speed up, not whether the job will disappear. A highly exposed job can change shape, with people spending less time on routine tasks and more on the rest. The score counts tasks AI can speed up on its own in full, and tasks that need extra software at half weight.

The ratings come from published research based on GPT-4 (2023). To show what's happening now, each task is also checked against the latest Anthropic Economic Index, which records which tasks people actually use AI for. That data is refreshed automatically when Anthropic publishes a new release. Read the full method.