Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Also called: Chipper Operator, Machine Operator, Packaging Line Operator, Process OperatorControl 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 23 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 2.6% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 8.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.0 hires for every 10 job openings in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which employs about 50% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $55,970 | $55,110 to $58,570 | 210 |
| Arizona | $39,260 | $39,250 to $39,400 | 360 |
| Arkansas | $36,940 | $36,210 to $44,850 | 300 |
| California | $43,150 | $42,420 to $46,600 | 2,460 |
| Colorado | $40,480 | $40,420 to $48,260 | 370 |
| Florida | $38,190 | $37,260 to $39,280 | 470 |
| Georgia | $40,630 | $36,720 to $48,860 | 600 |
| Hawaii | $42,880 | $42,880 to $42,910 | not published |
| Idaho | $40,750 | $39,120 to $46,640 | 240 |
| Illinois | $44,290 | $40,190 to $49,060 | 480 |
| Indiana | $46,300 | $38,790 to $54,480 | 610 |
| Iowa | $56,900 | $46,010 to $62,760 | 590 |
| Kansas | $40,030 | $37,790 to $49,420 | 840 |
| Kentucky | $44,800 | $40,350 to $51,310 | 780 |
| Louisiana | $54,590 | $34,740 to $63,780 | 210 |
| Maine | $38,310 | $36,620 to $46,420 | 200 |
| Maryland | $56,120 | $52,300 to $64,710 | 30 |
| Massachusetts | $43,150 | $40,670 to $43,170 | 170 |
| Michigan | $39,340 | $37,040 to $48,960 | 410 |
| Minnesota | $43,000 | $39,120 to $47,360 | 460 |
| Mississippi | $38,320 | $36,060 to $49,130 | 230 |
| Missouri | $44,100 | $37,220 to $49,580 | 290 |
| Montana | $38,760 | $37,240 to $46,290 | 370 |
| Nebraska | $43,360 | $38,800 to $45,930 | 1,180 |
| Nevada | $38,450 | $38,050 to $39,090 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $50,750 | $37,720 to $56,780 | 210 |
| New York | $42,670 | $34,730 to $44,050 | 720 |
| North Carolina | $39,160 | $37,320 to $40,830 | 840 |
| North Dakota | $47,770 | $37,450 to $78,020 | 80 |
| Ohio | $39,610 | $38,210 to $45,770 | 340 |
| Oklahoma | $36,200 | $34,960 to $43,230 | 350 |
| Oregon | $43,410 | $40,700 to $48,950 | 390 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,130 | $40,030 to $55,890 | 450 |
| South Carolina | $38,020 | $37,140 to $39,560 | 440 |
| South Dakota | $44,890 | $36,670 to $46,800 | 500 |
| Tennessee | $38,260 | $37,410 to $47,950 | 760 |
| Texas | $40,650 | $37,330 to $45,650 | 2,380 |
| Utah | $48,620 | $41,410 to $64,370 | 140 |
| Vermont | $40,390 | $39,300 to $40,390 | 50 |
| Virginia | $39,840 | $36,520 to $43,230 | 820 |
| Washington | $43,480 | $39,860 to $55,500 | 640 |
| West Virginia | $62,830 | $60,810 to $70,830 | 580 |
| Wisconsin | $39,550 | $38,820 to $52,620 | 450 |
| Wyoming | $52,480 | $37,560 to $109,490 | 120 |
Nationally: $42,420. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or hoppers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean, sterilize, and maintain equipment, machinery, and work stations, using hand tools, shovels, brooms, chemicals, hoses, and lubricants. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems and downtime. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| Not much | Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor. | Not published |
| Not much | Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, timing, and material flows. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control. | Not published |
| Not much | Press console buttons to deflect packages to predetermined accumulators or reject lines. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate elevator systems in conjunction with conveyor systems. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| AI + software | 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. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Move, assemble, and connect hoses or nozzles to material hoppers, storage tanks, conveyor sections or chutes, and pumps. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate consoles to control automatic palletizing equipment. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | Affix identifying information to materials or products, using hand tools. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Thread strapping through strapping tools and secure battens with strapping to form protective pallets around extrusions. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps. | Not published |
| Not much | Distribute materials, supplies, and equipment to work stations, using lifts and trucks. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure dimensions of bundles, using rulers, and cut battens to required sizes, using power saws. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis. | Not published |
| Not much | Join sections of conveyor frames at temporary working areas, and connect power units. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 23 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 23 tasks fall under 24 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
Show all 24 activities
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Collect samples of products or materials | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for conveyor operators and tenders specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 530 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 20%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
- 3 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 6%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 753 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 11%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 7%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 5 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Moderate +4.5% 6%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 70% less than high school
- 24% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 5% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 54% high school
- 21% some college
- 5% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators” · 292 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (CONVEYOR SYSTEM OPERATOR; PROCESS/SHIPPING TECHNICIAN). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Conveyor Operators and Tenders” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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