Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 8/30/2026
AI Resilience Score for Shipping & Inventory Clerk:
35.7%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Low
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Low
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
There are a reasonable number of sources for this result, but there is some disagreement between them.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forShipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
$45,260 median salary•61,300 annual openings•SOC Code: 43-5071.00
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 7 sources.
This career earns a "Somewhat Resilient" label because AI and robotics are genuinely reshaping a big chunk of the work, especially tasks like computing shipping charges, tracking inventory data, and making routing decisions, which are exactly the kinds of jobs AI handles well. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% decline in employment from 2025 to 2035, so the field is shrinking, but not disappearing, partly because physical coordination, problem-solving with suppliers, and handling unexpected situations still need a human in the loop.
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More career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreThis role is somewhat resilient
This career earns a "Somewhat Resilient" label because AI and robotics are genuinely reshaping a big chunk of the work, especially tasks like computing shipping charges, tracking inventory data, and making routing decisions, which are exactly the kinds of jobs AI handles well. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% decline in employment from 2025 to 2035, so the field is shrinking, but not disappearing, partly because physical coordination, problem-solving with suppliers, and handling unexpected situations still need a human in the loop.
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View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Shipping & Inventory Clerk
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Shipping & Inventory Clerk jobs?
Right now, this job is being reshaped by a mix of automation (machines and software doing tasks entirely) and augmentation (AI helping human workers do tasks better and faster). Recent MIT research found that shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks are among the jobs most highly exposed to AI, alongside reservation agents and cargo/freight agents, largely because many information-processing, decision-making, and quantitative tasks can be effectively replicated by AI systems, while jobs demanding manual skills or physical endurance are less exposed. That matches this role's task list: computing shipping charges, recording shipment data, and routing decisions are exactly what AI is best at.
On the physical side, Amazon has deployed roughly one million robots across its warehouses [1], and Walmart reports that more than half its fulfillment volume now flows through automated systems, including autonomous forklifts and real-time inventory sensors [1]. Still, robotics professor Ken Goldberg emphasized that "a robot doesn't come in and take over a job; it takes over a task" [1] — meaning clerks are being augmented today far more often than fully replaced.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Shipping & Inventory Clerk?
Adoption is moving quickly because the tools are widely available and the economics are attractive. The industry group MHI, in a trend report highlighted by Modern Materials Handling [2], concluded that AI is no longer a luxury but a necessity, with generative AI now embedded in demand forecasting, supplier evaluation, and real-time decision-making. MIT researchers estimate AI could accelerate about $65 billion of transportation-sector work done in collaboration with humans [3], which is a huge cost incentive.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of material recording clerks to decline 6% from 2025 to 2035, as e-commerce growth pushes companies to expand automated storage and retrieval tools, RFID, and collaborative robots that reduce demand for clerks [4]. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 similarly lists clerical roles among those expected to shrink as robots and automation displace 5 million more jobs than they create [5]. But there's good news: the same BLS page notes about 98,600 openings each year, mostly from workers retiring or switching careers [4], and MIT's team stresses that "complete automation is unlikely" [3].
Human skills — problem-solving with suppliers, handling damaged goods, coordinating physical deliveries, and learning to run the AI tools — will stay valuable. Building tech-savvy alongside warehouse know-how is the smartest move for anyone starting in this field.
Sources
Will AI replace Shipping & Inventory Clerk?
Not entirely. We think AI will take over some tasks, but not the whole job.
Our 35.7% AI Resilience Score signals real pressure on this role. The data-heavy parts of the job, computing shipping charges, recording shipment data, and routing decisions, are exactly what AI handles well. Amazon has deployed roughly one million robots across its warehouses [1], and Walmart now runs more than half its fulfillment volume through automated systems [1]. The BLS projects employment in this field to decline 6% through 2035 as companies expand RFID, automated storage, and collaborative robots [4]. That is a meaningful shift, not a small one.
Still, complete automation is unlikely [3]. Physical coordination, supplier problem-solving, and handling exceptions like damaged goods still need a human in the loop. Robotics researchers point out that AI takes over tasks, not whole jobs [1], and the BLS still projects around 98,600 openings each year, mostly from retirements and career changes [4].
The smartest move for anyone in this field is to become the person who runs the tools, not the one the tools replace. Learning warehouse technology alongside traditional clerk skills keeps you relevant even as the role keeps changing.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Shipping & Inventory Clerk
The articles highlight significant changes for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks due to AI advancements. For instance, one article notes that data entry roles are rapidly declining, which could affect clerks who handle inventory data. Another piece reveals a high AI replacement risk score of 85/100 for this occupation, indicating that while automation poses challenges, it also encourages clerks to develop skills in areas where human oversight is essential. Emphasizing AI resilience, students are encouraged to adapt and embrace new technologies to remain competitive in their careers.
Will AI Replace Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks?
www.replacedbai.com • 9/20/2026
No, Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks roles face significant AI replacement risk. With a risk score of 85/100, this occupation is in the high-danger ... Read more
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | AI Workforce Report
aiworkforcereport.com • 9/20/2026
Invest in your future today with our data-driven career guidance tailored specifically to Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. Get Your Complete AI Career ... Read more
Which transportation workers will be most impacted by AI?
mitsloan.mit.edu • 9/23/2025
New MIT research details the extent to which artificial intelligence will affect jobs, tasks, and costs in the transportation industry.
AI is Coming for These Jobs First | 2033 Forecast
techeconomy.ng • 9/6/2025
Quick Read: Data entry positions rank as the fastest-declining occupation, with 25% of these jobs disappearing by 2033. AI threatens the...
Which jobs will AI replace? Study reveals most at-risk and safest occupations
studyfinds.com • 9/25/2024
A new study is providing new insights into the types of occupations that may be most impacted by emerging AI technologies.
More Career Info
Career: Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
They manage products by organizing shipments, checking deliveries, and keeping track of stock to ensure everything is where it should be.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$45,260
Jobs (2025)
827,700
Growth (2025-35)
-7.6%
Annual Openings
61,300
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
2
Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins.
3
Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
4
Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials.
5
Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
6
Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
7
Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
