US dataswitch to UK
Postal Service Clerks
selling and collecting payment, sorting incoming and outgoing mail and putting undelivered parcels away. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: checking mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing is work software can't reach.
What shifts is ordering retail items and other supplies for office. This page scores what today's tools actually do, not headlines.
Your week, as this page understands it
Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Includes postal service clerks employed by USPS contractors. The job title says “postal service clerks”. The real job is the part underneath: checking mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But postal service clerks is not one task. It is 19 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is checking mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 3%
- changing shape
- 13%
- staying human
- 85%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 21 out of 100 (17–26 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, across 19 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for postal service clerks is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
1 taskTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Ordering retail items and other supplies for office
This is reading one thing and writing another: retail items in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Order retail items and other supplies for office use.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Ordering retail stock and office supplies is routine purchasing that ordering systems already automate.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Changing shape
2 tasksTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Answering questions regarding mail regulations and procedures
The software now makes the first pass at questions regarding mail regulations, but part of it still happens in the physical world. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Postal rules and rates are fully published and easily explained, but the questions come at the counter.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Completing forms regarding changes of address
The software now makes the first pass at forms regarding changes of address, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 59 out of 100 (52–66 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Address changes and loss claims are standard forms that online systems already handle well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
16 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Checking mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing
This work happens in the physical world: mail, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Checking that an item is properly packed and franked means handling the item.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Weighing letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight and destination and affix correct postage
This work happens in the physical world: letters, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 19 out of 100 (15–23 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The postage calculation is simple, but weighing the item and applying the postage is done by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Sorting incoming and outgoing mail
This work happens in the physical world: mail, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Sorting mail is physical handling, whether by hand or feeding machines.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Transporting mail from one work station
This work happens in the physical world: mail, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Transport mail from one work station to another.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Moving mail between workstations is physical work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Obtaining signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail
This work happens in the physical world: signatures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Taking a signature from the person collecting registered mail requires both people present.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Receiving letters and parcels and placing mail into bags
This work happens in the physical world: letters, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Receiving parcels and bagging mail is physical handling.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Keeping money drawers in order
This work happens in the physical world: money drawers, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · SupplementalSource: “Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Recording and balancing the day's takings is straightforward bookkeeping, though counting the drawer is done by hand.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Show the other 9 tasks
Providing customers with assistance in filing claims for mail theft
staying humanThe value here is that a specific person handles customers and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Provide customers with assistance in filing claims for mail theft, or lost or damaged mail.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 39 out of 100 (32–46 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Claim forms are standard, though people making a loss claim generally want a person walking them through it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Responding to complaints regarding mail theft
staying humanThe value here is that a specific person handles complaints regarding mail theft and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Respond to complaints regarding mail theft, delivery problems, and lost or damaged mail, filling out forms and making appropriate referrals for investigation.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 39 out of 100 (32–46 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Complaint forms and referrals are routine, but a customer whose mail is lost usually wants a person handling it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing assistance to the public in complying with federal regulations of Postal Service and other federal agencies
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: assistance, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Provide assistance to the public in complying with federal regulations of Postal Service and other federal agencies.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (25–39 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: The federal rules are published and easy to explain, though the help is given face to face at the counter.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Renting post office boxes to customers
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: post office boxes, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Rent post office boxes to customers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (25–39 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Box rental is a simple transaction on paper, but keys and the box itself are physical.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Registering certify and insure letters and parcels
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: certify, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (5–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Registering and insuring an item is a form-filling step attached to physically processing the parcel.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Selling and collecting payment
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: payment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · SupplementalSource: “Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (8–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Vending machines already sell stamps, but counter sales still involve handing over goods and taking payment.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Cashing money orders
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: money orders, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Cash money orders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (5–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Cashing a money order involves checking identity and handing over cash across a counter.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Putting undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them and completing any related documentation
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: undelivered parcels away, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Put undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them, and complete any related documentation.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (8–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Storing and retrieving held parcels is physical work with a short paperwork step attached.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Feeding mail into postage canceling devices or hand stamp mail to cancel postage
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: mail, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Feed mail into postage canceling devices or hand stamp mail to cancel postage.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Canceling postage by machine or hand stamp is physical work with the mail.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $62,130a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 73,720in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: retail items in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: ordering retail items and other supplies for office and answering questions regarding mail regulations and procedures. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where mail gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Start with what does not change: checking mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.
So, given all that: 3% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 13% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 85% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 19 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Ordering retail items and other supplies for office is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.
This week: one thing
Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to retail items, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.
- What you end up holding
- a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
- How long it takes
- ten minutes
If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether mail is in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.
Over the next 90 days
Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near answering questions regarding mail regulations and procedures. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.
Over the next 12 months
On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to postal service clerks (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service: only about 13% of its durable work is work you already do and it pays 36.8% less. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 21/100 here, with only 3% of the task list in the top band, and “check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are…” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or…, and their equivalent is to sort and route incoming mail, and collect outgoing mail, using carts as necessary. Across both published task lists that is about 13% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 13% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. It is a pay cut, in those words: $39,280 against your $62,130, 36.8% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or…, and their equivalent is to organize and supervise activities. Across both published task lists that is about 12% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 12% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. And it is a narrow door: about 13,810 of those jobs against 73,720 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 19% as many seats.
Postal Service Mail Carriers
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags, and their equivalent is to scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt. Across both published task lists that is about 11% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 11% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 3% of its task weight, across 19 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like checking mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Bank and post office clerks is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
The other groups this work is counted across:
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Bank and post office clerks and Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers. Pay is shown separately for each of those groups (medians cannot be averaged together), while the task list and the scores on this page are for this group only.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
Free
Why there is no community here
Collab365, who build this site, run paid Spaces for a small number of subjects, and none of them is built for this job. We are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
So the free services listed on this page are the whole answer, and it is the same answer we would give a friend.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for postal service clerks launches. Nothing else.
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No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Postal Service Clerks?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 19 official task statements scored for Postal Service Clerks (United States, SOC 43-5051), 3% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 21 out of 100 (range 17–26, band: low). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Postal Service Clerks” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Order retail items and other supplies for office use” (93/100, very high); “Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail” (59/100, partial); “Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes” (43/100, partial). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Postal Service Clerks” stay human?
- About 85% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Transport mail from one work station to another” (0/100, minimal); “Feed mail into postage canceling devices or hand stamp mail to cancel postage” (0/100, minimal); “Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Postal Service Clerks” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 3% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 85% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Postal Service Clerks calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 19 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
Worth knowing about these figures
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-04.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.