How likely is AI to replace Postal Service Clerks?

Published research puts Postal Service Clerks at 40 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the transitioning band. The number is a weighted consensus of 6 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.

Do researchers agree on the risk for Postal Service Clerks?

Only partly. Individual estimates for Postal Service Clerks run from 14 to 69 out of 100 across the 6 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.

Which administration roles face similar AI exposure?

The closest published administration roles to Postal Service Clerks by score are Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (39/100), Cargo and Freight Agents (42/100), and Meter Readers, Utilities (37/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Occupation baseline · Research consensus

Will AI replace Postal Service Clerks?

Transitioning

Baseline AI displacement risk for Postal Service Clerks, aggregated from 6 research sources.

What this score means

Postal Service Clerks sits in the middle of the exposure range for Administration. Routine parts of the job are starting to automate, but much of it still depends on judgment, relationships, and context that today's models handle poorly. At 40 out of 100 it scores 12 points below the Administration average of 52. Across the 6 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 14 to 69, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Postal Service Clerks, most central first, showing 12 of 19.

01Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.
02Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage.
03Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.
04Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail.
05Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.
06Transport mail from one work station to another.
07Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.
08Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.
09Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.
10Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.
11Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.
12Put undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them, and complete any related documentation.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 6 research sources that scored Postal Service Clerks for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026Anthropic
02Global Automation Atlas: Task Substitution Exposure by Occupation · 2026Garg, Crosta, Baier (2026), arXiv:2605.17086
03Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure · 2025International Labour Organization, Working Paper 140 (2025)
04Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations · 2025Tomlinson, Jaffe et al., Microsoft Research (2025)
05GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin, Rock (Science, 2024)
06AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023Felten, Raj, Seamans (2023)

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Postal Service Clerks?: Published research puts Postal Service Clerks at 40 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the transitioning band. The number is a weighted consensus of 6 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.
Do researchers agree on the risk for Postal Service Clerks?: Only partly. Individual estimates for Postal Service Clerks run from 14 to 69 out of 100 across the 6 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.
Which administration roles face similar AI exposure?: The closest published administration roles to Postal Service Clerks by score are Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (39/100), Cargo and Freight Agents (42/100), and Meter Readers, Utilities (37/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

Annuitant HCA (Annuitant Holiday Clerk Assistant) · Bulk Clerk · Bulk Mail Clerk · Bulk Mail Technician · Business Mail Entry Clerk · City Carrier · City Carrier Assistant (CCA) · Clerk and related titles

Estimated displacement window

The dated estimate for this role is included in the full personalised report.

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Informational guidance based on published research, not professional career or financial advice. Scores update as new research is ingested.