Couriers and Messengers
Machines can already do 32% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 72%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Couriers and Messengers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 32% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 4% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2032, and 72% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 68,640 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $39,200 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 72% for contact with people.
- Also called: Courier, Delivery Driver, Driver, Lab Courier (Laboratory Courier).
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk, ride bicycles, drive vehicles, or use public conveyances to reach destinations to deliver messages or materials | 30% | 30% to 75% | |
| Deliver messages and items, such as newspapers, documents, and packages, between establishment departments and to other establishments and private homes | 13% | 30% to 75% | |
| Deliver and pick up medical records, lab specimens, and medications to and from hospitals and other medical facilities | 7% | 30% to 75% | |
| Load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person | 5% | 30% to 75% | |
| Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients' responses to messages | 5% | 70% to 95% | |
| Sort items to be delivered according to the delivery route | 5% | 20% to 60% | |
| Open, sort, and distribute incoming mail | 5% | 57% to 88% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills couriers and messengers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators62% of tasks by 2035 · US median $58,470
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals62% of tasks by 2035 · US median $36,670
- Postal Service Mail Carriers63% of tasks by 2035 · US median $60,550
- Stockers and Order Fillers65% of tasks by 2035 · US median $37,330
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Couriers and Messengers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2032. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of couriers and messengers?
Machines can do 32% of the tasks of couriers and messengers today and 72% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 43-5021.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Couriers and Messengers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/couriers-and-messengers/