Production · SOC 51-9111
Robotic packaging lines are expanding but machine tending, quality checks, and jam-clearing stay human-in-the-loop.
Parts of the job are exposed, but judgment and context still matter.
Timeline: Fully automated packaging lines exist in high-volume food and consumer goods, but mid-volume and specialty operations will keep human operators for error recovery and changeover through at least 2029.
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Production
$38,960 median pay
$62,700 median pay
$54,540 median pay
$97,540 median pay
$49,970 median pay
AI job-risk card
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders is watch on AIFear. Parts of the job are exposed, but judgment and context still matter.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders is 38/100 (Watch). Parts of the job are exposed, but judgment and context still matter.
38 out of 100, based on an AI-model review of this occupation's O*NET tasks against what current AI can actually do.
Most exposed: Counting and recording finished packaged items, Reporting machine malfunctions to supervisors. Harder to automate: Clearing machine jams and responding to anomalies, Visual quality inspection and grading, Sorting, weighing, and rejecting nonconforming items, Attaching labels and stenciling shipping info.
Lean into Industrial machine operation, Quality control inspection, Robotics monitoring and troubleshooting, Workplace safety compliance. Consider roles such as Packaging line lead or supervisor or Quality control technician or Warehouse automation technician.
Tasks, skills and AI-exposure for this role were reviewed by an AI model against its O*NET task profile (curated roles use published research anchors). Pay and employment, where shown, are U.S. BLS OEWS (May 2024) figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.