Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Also called: Dryer Feeder, Feeder, Machine Feeder, OffbearerFeed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 13.1% 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, 4.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 38% 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.8.4 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 | $38,810 | $32,830 to $45,020 | 2,160 |
| Arizona | $40,250 | $37,980 to $42,080 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $45,250 | $37,400 to $45,550 | 1,580 |
| California | $40,380 | $38,290 to $49,210 | 4,830 |
| Colorado | $48,400 | $38,010 to $54,200 | 650 |
| Connecticut | $36,950 | $36,450 to $41,460 | 120 |
| Delaware | $44,110 | $39,120 to $64,170 | 30 |
| Florida | $35,110 | $31,560 to $47,010 | 1,110 |
| Georgia | $39,360 | $34,370 to $48,090 | 1,550 |
| Idaho | $42,580 | $36,030 to $51,190 | 170 |
| Illinois | not published | not published | 1,450 |
| Indiana | $37,850 | $35,290 to $44,180 | 2,800 |
| Iowa | $45,250 | $40,350 to $47,200 | 560 |
| Kansas | $47,930 | $47,860 to $50,810 | 430 |
| Kentucky | $42,200 | $38,000 to $48,760 | 980 |
| Louisiana | $43,370 | $34,020 to $51,070 | 130 |
| Maine | $32,310 | $32,310 to $43,270 | 210 |
| Maryland | $41,590 | $37,780 to $49,720 | 110 |
| Massachusetts | $43,510 | $42,460 to $44,970 | 620 |
| Michigan | $42,320 | $37,080 to $46,350 | 740 |
| Minnesota | $48,740 | $46,760 to $54,620 | 410 |
| Mississippi | $38,340 | $32,830 to $47,940 | 670 |
| Missouri | $46,580 | $36,340 to $62,960 | 1,280 |
| Nebraska | $45,470 | $35,190 to $46,820 | 210 |
| Nevada | $40,550 | $36,000 to $43,080 | 150 |
| New Hampshire | $46,580 | $37,500 to $59,690 | 200 |
| New Jersey | $44,890 | $37,480 to $48,350 | 850 |
| New York | $43,450 | $36,540 to $51,400 | 770 |
| North Carolina | $37,370 | $34,490 to $42,950 | 2,040 |
| Ohio | $45,130 | $37,760 to $56,100 | 2,930 |
| Oklahoma | $36,680 | $33,890 to $40,190 | 310 |
| Oregon | $45,580 | $39,070 to $49,200 | 2,390 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,220 | $36,510 to $52,500 | 1,390 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,400 | $22,360 to $24,300 | 50 |
| Rhode Island | $32,770 | $31,200 to $43,780 | not published |
| South Carolina | $38,050 | $31,510 to $48,980 | 680 |
| South Dakota | $39,310 | $37,020 to $43,720 | 660 |
| Tennessee | $40,400 | $33,090 to $47,490 | 450 |
| Texas | $37,350 | $34,520 to $42,940 | 3,100 |
| Utah | $40,160 | $36,510 to $46,010 | 140 |
| Virginia | $36,290 | $31,400 to $39,420 | 1,340 |
| Washington | $45,600 | $39,990 to $49,820 | 1,040 |
| West Virginia | $39,360 | $28,880 to $39,460 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $55,120 | $50,390 to $59,190 | 570 |
| Wyoming | $51,280 | $48,280 to $51,770 | 30 |
Nationally: $41,220. 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 2 of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Record production and operational data, such as amount of materials processed. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect materials and products for defects, and to ensure conformance to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and maintain machinery, equipment, and work areas to ensure proper functioning and safe working conditions. | Not published |
| Not much | Push dual control buttons and move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh or measure materials or products to ensure conformance to specifications. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify and mark materials, products, and samples, following instructions. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| Not much | Transfer materials and products to and from machinery and equipment, using industrial trucks or hand trucks. | Not published |
| Not much | Load materials and products into machines and equipment, or onto conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Fasten, package, or stack materials and products, using hand tools and fastening equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove materials and products from machines and equipment, and place them in boxes, trucks or conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Open and close gates of belt and pneumatic conveyors on machines that are fed directly from preceding machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Add chemicals, solutions, or ingredients to machines or equipment as required by the manufacturing process. | Not published |
| Not much | Shovel or scoop materials into containers, machines, or equipment for processing, storage, or transport. | 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 13 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 13 tasks fall under 10 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.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package objects | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Maintain operational records |
Show all 10 activities
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Configuration or infrastructure24%
- An explanation or answer18%
- An analysis or summary14%
- Data or a spreadsheet10%
- A script or snippet8%
How they worked with Claude
58% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
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 machine feeders and offbearers 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 2,197 moves out
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 4%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Where people moved in from
of 2,184 moves in
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
- 5 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 3%
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
- 21% less than high school
- 73% high school
- 4% postsecondary certificate
- 2% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 40 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 22% less than high school
- 44% high school
- 21% some college
- 3% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 304 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 this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
2.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
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
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
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
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/53-7063.00