Will AI replace Stockers and Order Fillers?

Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 30 official task statements scored for Stockers and Order Fillers (United States, SOC 53-7065), 14% 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 18–26, 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 “Stockers and Order Fillers” can AI already do?

The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Compute prices of items or groups of items” (93/100, very high); “Complete order receipts” (69/100, high); “Read orders to ascertain catalog numbers, sizes, colors, and quantities of merchandise” (69/100, high). 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 “Stockers and Order Fillers” stay human?

About 78% 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: “Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise” (0/100, minimal); “Operate equipment such as forklifts” (0/100, minimal); “Clean and maintain supplies, tools, equipment, and storage areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations” (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 “Stockers and Order Fillers” do about AI?

Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 14% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 78% 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 Stockers and Order Fillers 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 30 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.

US dataswitch to UK

Stockers and Order Fillers

completing order receipts, receiving and counting stock items and reading orders to ascertain catalog numbers. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: stocking shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables with new or transferred merchandise is work software can't reach.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 14%
changing shape: 8%
staying human: 78%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 21 out of 100 (18–26 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, across 30 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 stockers and order fillers 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.

What shifts is keeping records of out-going orders. This page scores what today's tools actually do, not headlines.

Your week, as this page understands it

Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays. The job title says “stockers” or “order fillers”: officially one job, two names. The real job is the part underneath: stocking shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables with new or transferred merchandise. 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 stockers and order fillers is not one task. It is 30 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is stocking shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables with new or transferred merchandise, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 14%
changing shape: 8%
staying human: 78%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

How we know this

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.

5 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
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

4 tasks

Tasks 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.

Keeping records of out-going orders
This is reading one thing and writing another: records of out-going orders in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Keep records of out-going orders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): 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: Records of outgoing orders come straight from the order system, so software keeps them accurately.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Reading orders to ascertain catalog numbers
This is reading one thing and writing another: orders in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Read orders to ascertain catalog numbers, sizes, colors, and quantities of merchandise.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): 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: Reading an order to pull out catalog numbers, sizes, colors and quantities is straightforward information work.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Completing order receipts
This is reading one thing and writing another: order receipts in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Complete order receipts.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (62–76 allowing for uncertainty): high 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: Filling in order receipts is form work software completes from the order data it already holds.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Computing prices of items or groups of items
This is reading one thing and writing another: prices of items in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Compute prices of items or groups of items.” (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: Working out prices for single items or groups of items is arithmetic against a price list.
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

3 tasks

Tasks 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.

Keeping records on the use or damage of stock or stock-handling equipment
The software now makes the first pass at records, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Keep records on the use or damage of stock or stock-handling equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 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: Keeping records of stock use and equipment damage is simple record work, though the observations come from people on the floor.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Recommending disposal of excess, defective or obsolete stock
The software now makes the first pass at disposal of excess, defective or obsolete stock, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Recommend disposal of excess, defective, or obsolete stock.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 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: Recommending which excess or obsolete stock to clear is analysis of figures the business already records.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Requisitioning merchandise from supplier, based on available space, merchandise on hand, customer demand or advertised specials
The software now makes the first pass at merchandise, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Requisition merchandise from supplier, based on available space, merchandise on hand, customer demand, or advertised specials.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 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: Reordering based on space, stock on hand and demand is the pattern work replenishment software already does.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

23 tasks

Tasks 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.

Answering customers' questions about merchandise and advising customers on merchandise selection
This work happens in the physical world: customers' questions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · Core
Source: “Answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Product questions are well covered by information tools, but the shopper is in the aisle wanting an answer now.
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 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Stocking shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables with new or transferred merchandise
This work happens in the physical world: shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Stock shelves, racks, cases, bins, and tables with new or transferred merchandise.” (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: Filling shelves, racks, cases and bins is manual work on the store floor.
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 unload, open, unpack or issuing sales floor merchandise
This work happens in the physical world: unload, open, unpack or issuing sales floor merchandise, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise.” (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, unloading, unpacking and putting out merchandise is manual 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.

Show the other 20 tasks

Comparing merchandise invoices to items actually received to ensure that shipments
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: merchandise invoices, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Compare merchandise invoices to items actually received to ensure that shipments are correct.” (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: Matching an invoice against what actually arrived is document comparison, though someone has to look at the delivery.
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.
Taking inventory or examining merchandise to identify items
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: inventory, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Take inventory or examine merchandise to identify items to be reordered or replenished.” (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: Deciding what needs reordering is data work, but the stock count itself means walking the shelves.
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.
Determining proper storage methods, identification and stocking location, based on turnover, environmental factors and physical capabilities of facilities
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: proper storage methods, identification and stocking location, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Determine proper storage methods, identification, and stock location, based on turnover, environmental factors, and physical capabilities of facilities.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 25 out of 100 (18–32 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Choosing storage methods and locations depends on knowing the actual building and how the goods behave in it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · 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 2/4.
Designing and setting up advertising signs and displays of merchandise on shelves
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: advertising signs, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Design and set up advertising signs and displays of merchandise on shelves, counters, or tables to attract customers and promote sales.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 19 out of 100 (12–26 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: Software designs sign and display layouts easily, but building the display on the store floor is hands-on.
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.
Receiving and counting stock items
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: stock items, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Receive and count stock items, and record data manually or on computer.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 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: Counting stock as it arrives happens at the loading bay, though the recording afterwards is simple data entry.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Disposing of damaged or defective items
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: damaged, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Dispose of damaged or defective items, or return them to vendors.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 13 out of 100 (6–20 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Deciding what to scrap or send back is a judgment call, but moving and returning the goods is physical.
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 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Providing assistance or direction to other stockroom
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: assistance, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Core
Source: “Provide assistance or direction to other stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard workers.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (2–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Directing and helping colleagues in a stockroom happens face to face where the work is.
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 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Examining and inspecting stock items for wear or defects
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: stock items, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Core
Source: “Examine and inspect stock items for wear or defects, reporting any damage to supervisors.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (1–15 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Spotting wear or damage means looking at and handling the actual goods, even though the report is written up afterwards.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · 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 2/4.
Obtaining merchandise from bins or shelves
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: merchandise, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Obtain merchandise from bins or shelves.” (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: Picking goods off bins and shelves means physically reaching for them.
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.
Packing and unpacking items to be stocked on shelves in stockrooms
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: items, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Pack and unpack items to be stocked on shelves in stockrooms, warehouses, or storage yards.” (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: Packing and unpacking stock is manual 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.
Storing items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: items, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Store items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses, tool rooms, supply rooms, or other areas.” (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: Putting items away tidily and accessibly in a stockroom is physical work in the space.
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.
Stamping, attaching or change price tags on merchandise, referring to price list
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: change price tags, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Stamp, attach, or change price tags on merchandise, referring to price list.” (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: Stamping, attaching or swapping price tickets is hands-on work on the goods.
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.
Itemizing and totaling customer merchandise selection at checkout counter
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: customer merchandise selection, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Itemize and total customer merchandise selection at checkout counter, using cash register, and accept cash or charge card for purchases.” (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: Ringing up and taking payment at a checkout counter means being at the register with the customer.
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 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Transporting packages to customers' vehicles
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: packages, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Transport packages to customers' vehicles.” (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: Carrying packages out to a customer's vehicle is physical help.
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 1/4.
Marking stock items, using identification tags, stamps, electric marking tools or other labeling equipment
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: stock items, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Mark stock items, using identification tags, stamps, electric marking tools, or other labeling equipment.” (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: Marking stock with tags, stamps or marking tools is hands-on work on the items.
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.
Issuing or distributing materials, products, parts and supplies to customers or coworkers
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: materials, products, parts and supplies, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Issue or distribute materials, products, parts, and supplies to customers or coworkers, based on information from incoming requisitions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Handing out materials, parts and supplies against a requisition means physically fetching them and giving them over.
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 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Cleaning display cases, shelves and aisles
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: display cases, shelves and aisles, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Clean display cases, shelves, and aisles.” (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: Cleaning display cases, shelves and aisles is manual cleaning.
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 1/4.
Packing customer purchases in bags or cartons
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: customer purchases, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Pack customer purchases in bags or cartons.” (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: Packing bags and boxes requires hands.
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 1/4.
Cleaning and maintaining supplies, tools, equipment and storage areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: supplies, tools, equipment and storage areas, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Clean and maintain supplies, tools, equipment, and storage areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations.” (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: Cleaning equipment and storage areas 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.
Operating equipment, forklifts
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: equipment, forklifts, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Operate equipment such as forklifts.” (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: Driving a forklift needs a person at the controls.
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: $37,330a 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: 2,833,810in 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: records of out-going orders in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: keeping records of out-going orders and reading orders to ascertain catalog numbers. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables get 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: stocking shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables with new or transferred merchandise is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.

So, given all that: 14% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 8% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 78% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 30 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. Keeping records of out-going orders 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 records of out-going orders, 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 shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables are 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 keeping records on the use or damage of stock or stock-handling equipment. 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 stockers and order fillers (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was retail salespersons: only about 21% of its durable work is work you already do. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 21/100 here, with only 14% of the task list in the top band, and “answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection” 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.

Retail Salespersons
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection, and their equivalent is to answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise. Across both published task lists that is about 20% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 20% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Cashiers
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection, and their equivalent is to answer customers' questions, and provide information on procedures or policies. Across both published task lists that is about 7% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 7% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: $32,880 against your $37,330, 11.9% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Parts Salespersons
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection, and their equivalent is to place new merchandise on display. Across both published task lists that is about 6% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 6% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. And it is a narrow door: about 270,070 of those jobs against 2,833,810 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 10% as many seats.
Look at that job’s page anyway →

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: 14% of its task weight, across 30 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 stocking shelves, racks, cases, bins and tables with new or transferred merchandise 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 Shelf fillers 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 Shelf fillers, Stock control clerks and assistants and Elementary sales occupations n.e.c.. 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:
American Job Center locator
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
- CareerOneStop local help hub
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop
Free

No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it

Nothing Collab365 runs is built for stockers / order fillers, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 14% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.

Try The AI Authority free →

7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.

The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for stockers / order fillers. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for stockers / order fillers launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No Space for stockers / order fillers yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for stockers / order fillers existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

Your email

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for stockers / order fillers launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

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 Stockers and Order Fillers?: Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 30 official task statements scored for Stockers and Order Fillers (United States, SOC 53-7065), 14% 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 18–26, 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 “Stockers and Order Fillers” can AI already do?: The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Compute prices of items or groups of items” (93/100, very high); “Complete order receipts” (69/100, high); “Read orders to ascertain catalog numbers, sizes, colors, and quantities of merchandise” (69/100, high). 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 “Stockers and Order Fillers” stay human?: About 78% 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: “Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise” (0/100, minimal); “Operate equipment such as forklifts” (0/100, minimal); “Clean and maintain supplies, tools, equipment, and storage areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations” (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 “Stockers and Order Fillers” do about AI?: Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 14% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 78% 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 Stockers and Order Fillers 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 30 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.
5 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
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.

How we score a job Download this release Look up another job

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}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. 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.