High AI Risk Declining

Packers and packagers, hand

SOC Code: 53-7064

Packers and packagers, hand carries a 41% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $35,580 and -5.4% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 591,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.

AI Exposure Score
41% High
Typical exposure

Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)

Projected Growth
-5.4%
Below typical growth
2024–2034 (BLS)
-32,200 jobs
Median Annual Wage
$35,580
Bottom 10% pay
BLS May 2024
How wage figures are sourced →
The verdict

At 41% AI exposure, Packers and packagers, hand sits 4 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 71% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.

41%
AI exposure
Top 29%
most exposed
-5.4%
Job growth 2024–34
$35,580
Median wage
F

Career outlook score

15/100

Packers and packagers, hand, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions

A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.

  • Median wage F $35,580

    Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations

  • Projected growth F -5.4%

    Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections

  • AI exposure (inverted) F 41% exposure

    Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure

Employment vs AI exposure

Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).

4.3M
Home health and personal care aides employment (#1)
#392
Home health and personal care aides AI rank
95%
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks AI exposure (#1)
#17
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks employment rank

Automation-risk inventory

Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Packers and packagers, hand in the High band.

Credential × growth standing

Open entry on a declining BLS line

Typical entry is No credential (109/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.

Where Packers and packagers, hand sits among all occupations

AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.

Where Packers and packagers, hand sits by AI exposure

AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)

41% Around the middle lower than 29% of 832 occupations

Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034

Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.

Packers and packagers, hand vs. its occupational neighbors

AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Packers and packagers, hand is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.

Future-proofGrowing but exposedStable, lower-AIMost at risk18.9%25.2%31.5%37.8%44.1%-6.1%-2.2%1.7%5.6%9.5%AI exposure (%) →Projected growth (%) →Laborers, AI exposure (%) →: 23% · Projected growth (%) →: 1.5%LaborersStockers, AI exposure (%) →: 43% · Projected growth (%) →: 8.5%StockersHeavy, AI exposure (%) →: 43% · Projected growth (%) →: 4%HeavyLight truck drivers, AI exposure (%) →: 36% · Projected growth (%) →: 7.3%Light truck driversIndustrial truck, AI exposure (%) →: 24% · Projected growth (%) →: 1.1%Industrial truckFirst-line superviso, AI exposure (%) →: 35% · Projected growth (%) →: 3.7%First-line supervisoPackers, AI exposure (%) →: 41% · Projected growth (%) →: -5.4%PackersDriver/sales workers, AI exposure (%) →: 34% · Projected growth (%) →: 8.8%Driver/sales workersCleaners of vehicles, AI exposure (%) →: 20% · Projected growth (%) →: 3.9%Cleaners of vehiclesBus drivers, AI exposure (%) →: 32% · Projected growth (%) →: 0.2%Bus driversShuttle drivers, AI exposure (%) →: 36% · Projected growth (%) →: 6.7%Shuttle drivers

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).

Employment Projections

591,800
Employment 2024
559,700
Projected 2034
-5.4%
Change (%)
-32,200
Change (jobs)

Where This Score Comes From

Packers and packagers, hand's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.

The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 53-7064) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Packers and packagers, hand be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.

For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Packers and packagers, hand. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.

Education & Entry Requirements

Typical Education
No formal educational credential
Work Experience
None
On-the-Job Training
Short-term on-the-job training

Top Tasks (O*NET)

  1. 1. Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met.
  2. 2. Measure, weigh, and count products and materials.
  3. 3. Remove completed or defective products or materials, placing them on moving equipment, such as conveyors, or in specified areas, such as loading docks.
  4. 4. Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records.
  5. 5. Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools.
  6. 6. Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools.
  7. 7. Obtain, move, and sort products, materials, containers, and orders, using hand tools.
  8. 8. Place or pour products or materials into containers, using hand tools and equipment, or fill containers from spouts or chutes.
  9. 9. Mark and label containers, container tags, or products, using marking tools.
  10. 10. Load materials and products into package processing equipment.

Key Skills Required

  • Monitoring
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Coordination
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Time Management
  • Active Learning

Knowledge Areas

  • Production and Processing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Administrative
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Mechanical
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Chemistry
  • Transportation

Frequently Asked Questions

Will AI replace Packers and packagers, hand?

Packers and packagers, hand has an AI exposure score of 41%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.

What is the job outlook for Packers and packagers, hand?

According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Packers and packagers, hand is projected to decline by 5.4% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 591,800 workers.

What skills are needed for Packers and packagers, hand?

Key skills for Packers and packagers, hand include Monitoring, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is No formal educational credential.

How much do Packers and packagers, hand earn?

The median annual wage for Packers and packagers, hand is $35,580, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.

What education is required for Packers and packagers, hand?

The typical entry-level education for Packers and packagers, hand is No formal educational credential. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.

Which companies employ Packers and packagers, hand?

Packers and packagers, hand roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.

AI Exposure Rating

2.0
out of 5.0

High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.

Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles

Two data-derived peer sets for Packers and packagers, hand: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).

Similar AI exposure score

Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (41% here).

Similar projected growth (2024–2034)

Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-5.4% here).

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.

What to do with this

Use Packers and packagers, hand's numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.

AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.

Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).

Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Sources: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, O*NET Database 30.0.