Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-5053
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 43-5053 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 38/100
- Low friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $58,470
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 4,900
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -8.4%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 7,217 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks, and perform other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Includes postal service mail sorters and processors employed by USPS contractors.
Common titles: Automation Clerk, Computer Forwarding System Markup Clerk (CFS Markup Clerk), Distribution Clerk, Flat Sorting Machine Clerk (FSM Clerk), Mail Handler, Mail Handler Equipment Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Clear jams in sorting equipment.
- •Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
- •Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling.
- •Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
- •Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is attached, and that items are in a suitable condition for processing.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Route mail to correct destinations.
- •Maintain office equipment in proper operating condition.
- •Verify shipping documentation.
- •Package objects for shipping.
- •Operate computers or computerized equipment.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 33.9% |
| Outlook | Average | 22% Bright |
| Median Salary | $58,470 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |