People Team AI Ask about a date

How exposed to AI is a Postal Service Mail Carrier?

Of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for postal service mail carriers, 4 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 11 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
City CarrierCity Carrier Assistant (CCA)City Letter CarrierCity Mail CarrierLetter CarrierMail CarrierRural CarrierRural Carrier Associate (RCA)Rural Mail CarrierRural Route Carrier
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
22
tasks rated for this occupation
0%
hold a degree, from a survey of 33
336k
people do this job in the US
44 of 51
least protected in office and admin

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

4
  • Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes
  • Record address changes and redirect mail for those addresses
  • Answer customers' questions about postal services and regulations
  • Complete forms that notify publishers of address changes

Only with software built on top

7
  • Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt
  • Meet schedules for the collection and return of mail
  • Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office
  • Leave notices telling patrons where to collect mail that could not be delivered
  • Maintain accurate records of deliveries
  • Report any unusual circumstances concerning mail delivery, including the condition of street letter boxes
  • Enter change of address orders into computers that process forwarding address stickers

Cannot be sped up

11
  • Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork
  • Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence
  • Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks
  • Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations
  • Turn in money and receipts collected along mail routes
  • Bundle mail in preparation for delivery or transportation to relay boxes
  • Return incorrectly addressed mail to senders
  • Provide customers with change of address cards and other forms
  • Register, certify, and insure parcels and letters
  • Travel to post offices to pick up the mail for routes or pick up mail from postal relay boxes
  • Sell stamps and money orders
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.