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Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Machine Feeders and Offbearers

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers and Machine Feeders and Offbearers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$47,460
$39,700
Employment · BLS OEWS
591,180
46,690
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
28th pct
3rd pct

At a glance

Dimension Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Median pay $47,460 $39,700
Employment 591,180 46,690
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (0.0%) Declining (-13.0%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 69,900 4,700
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 28th pct Low · 3rd pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 58th pct · 31% of tasks 8th pct · 12% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index Automation-leaning (49.9%) —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Production and Processing, Quality Control Analysis, Oral Expression, English Language, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Perceptual Speed, Problem Sensitivity, Flexibility of Closure, Mechanical, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Written Comprehension, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Deductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Operation and Control, Written Expression, Far Vision.

Specific to Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Writing
  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Time Management
  • Visualization
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Social Perceptiveness

Specific to Machine Feeders and Offbearers

  • Control Precision
  • Rate Control
  • Reaction Time
  • Static Strength
  • Multilimb Coordination
  • Trunk Strength
  • Troubleshooting
  • Wrist-Finger Speed

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Industrial control software .

Specific to Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Specific to Machine Feeders and Offbearers

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers or Machine Feeders and Offbearers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Machine Feeders and Offbearers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-machine-feeders-and-offbearers

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Machine Feeders and Offbearers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-machine-feeders-and-offbearers

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-machine-feeders-and-offbearers,
  title  = {Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers vs Machine Feeders and Offbearers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/inspectors-testers-sorters-samplers-and-weighers-vs-machine-feeders-and-offbearers}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.