Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 53-7011.00
Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: OpenAIPublished: 2023
0.138
0.000Range of values carried here0.844Scale, basis and source
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 20 hidden tasks23 rated tasks · 3 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (13.0%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Read production and delivery schedules, and confer with supervisors, to determine sorting and transfer procedures, arrangement of packages on pallets, and destinations of loaded pallets.53-7011.00 | 0.009350.0 |
Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis.53-7011.00 | 0.005630.3 |
Weigh or measure materials and products, using scales or other measuring instruments, or read scales on conveyors that continually weigh products, to verify specified tonnages and prevent overloads.53-7011.00 | 0.003619.7 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems and downtime.O*NET Task ID 10747 | 1.0 |
Contact workers in work stations or other departments to request movement of materials, products, or machinery, or to notify them of incoming shipments and their estimated delivery times.O*NET Task ID 10754 | 0.5 |
Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control.O*NET Task ID 21030 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (23)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor. | Core |
| Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems and downtime. | Core |
| Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed. | Core |
| Clean, sterilize, and maintain equipment, machinery, and work stations, using hand tools, shovels, brooms, chemicals, hoses, and lubricants. | Core |
| Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunctions. | Core |
| Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors. | Core |
| Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or hoppers. | Core |
| Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control. | Core |
| Weigh or measure materials and products, using scales or other measuring instruments, or read scales on conveyors that continually weigh products, to verify specified tonnages and prevent overloads. | Supplemental |
| Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, timing, and material flows. | Supplemental |
| Operate elevator systems in conjunction with conveyor systems. | Supplemental |
| Read production and delivery schedules, and confer with supervisors, to determine sorting and transfer procedures, arrangement of packages on pallets, and destinations of loaded pallets. | Supplemental |
| Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps. | Supplemental |
| Contact workers in work stations or other departments to request movement of materials, products, or machinery, or to notify them of incoming shipments and their estimated delivery times. | Supplemental |
| Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis. | Supplemental |
| Operate consoles to control automatic palletizing equipment. | Supplemental |
| Affix identifying information to materials or products, using hand tools. | Supplemental |
| Distribute materials, supplies, and equipment to work stations, using lifts and trucks. | Supplemental |
| Move, assemble, and connect hoses or nozzles to material hoppers, storage tanks, conveyor sections or chutes, and pumps. | Supplemental |
| Measure dimensions of bundles, using rulers, and cut battens to required sizes, using power saws. | Supplemental |
| Press console buttons to deflect packages to predetermined accumulators or reject lines. | Supplemental |
| Join sections of conveyor frames at temporary working areas, and connect power units. | Supplemental |
| Thread strapping through strapping tools and secure battens with strapping to form protective pallets around extrusions. | Supplemental |
1.31/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunctions. | E2 structured facilities |
| Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors. | E0 none |
| Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or hoppers. | E2 structured facilities |
| Distribute materials, supplies, and equipment to work stations, using lifts and trucks. | E2 structured facilities |
| Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, timing, and material flows. | E2 structured facilities |
| Clean, sterilize, and maintain equipment, machinery, and work stations, using hand tools, shovels, brooms, chemicals, hoses, and lubricants. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis. | E2 structured facilities |
| Affix identifying information to materials or products, using hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Move, assemble, and connect hoses or nozzles to material hoppers, storage tanks, conveyor sections or chutes, and pumps. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Press console buttons to deflect packages to predetermined accumulators or reject lines. | E2 structured facilities |
| Join sections of conveyor frames at temporary working areas, and connect power units. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Thread strapping through strapping tools and secure battens with strapping to form protective pallets around extrusions. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control. | E2 structured facilities |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 29K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 28K
- Change (2025–35)
- -2.6%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $42,420
- Typical education needed for entry
- No formal educational credential
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87309 | 그 외 물품 이동 장비 조작원 | This occupation is narrower | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 8189Stationary Plant and Machine Operators Not Elsewhere Classified
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
ISCO-08 8189
- edge bander operatorESCO 8189.1
Edge bander operators tend machines that veneer materials, mostly wood, to increase durability and make them aesthetically pleasing. They also regulate the speed of the belt, set temperature control to regulate heat, brush glue on edges of panels and start and regulate the machine.
- slitter operatorESCO 8189.2
Slitter operators set up, operate, or tend machines, in order to cut, slit, bend, or straighten sheets of metal, paper, or other materials to specific widths. Slitter operators must also ensure quality, by examining various end-products and observing pre-defined tolerances.
ESCO occupations that ESCO classifies under the ISCO-08 unit groups linked above; they are not matched to this occupation one by one.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H3301 | Conducteur / Conductrice de ligne de conditionnement | Related, not a match |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8199 | Operadores de instalaciones y maquinaria fijas no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | This occupation is narrower |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 52532 | Kranführer/innen, Aufzugsmaschinisten und Bediener/innen verwandter Hebeeinrichtungen - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 25122 | Maschinen- und Anlagenführer/innen - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 643 | クレーン・ウインチ運転従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources