Material Moving Workers

How to become a Stocker or Order Filler

Official title: Stockers and Order Fillers

Also called: Checker Stocker, Inventory Technician (Inventory Tech), Label Maker, Marking Clerk, Order Filler, Order Picker, Stock Clerk, Stocker, Warehouse Technician (Warehouse Tech), Warehouse Worker

Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays.

Main tasks

Take inventory or examine merchandise to identify items to be reordered or replenished.
Answer customers' questions about merchandise and advise customers on merchandise selection.
Receive and count stock items, and record data manually or on computer.
Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise.
Stock shelves, racks, cases, bins, and tables with new or transferred merchandise.
Pack and unpack items to be stocked on shelves in stockrooms, warehouses, or storage yards.
Mark stock items, using identification tags, stamps, electric marking tools, or other labeling equipment.
Store items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses, tool rooms, supply rooms, or other areas.

How to become one

There are usually no formal educational requirements to become a hand laborer or material mover. They typically learn through on-the-job training that lasts 1 month or less.

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Warehouse Technician (Nof).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $37,330 a year The middle half earn $34,450 to $44,650.
About 2,804,300 people work in this job now, and about 3,055,000 are projected by 2035. (+8.9%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Stocker or Order Filler?

There are usually no formal educational requirements to become a hand laborer or material mover. They typically learn through on-the-job training that lasts 1 month or less.

How much does a Stocker or Order Filler earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $37,330 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $34,450 to $44,650.

Is a Stocker or Order Filler a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 9% by 2035, from about 2,804,300 to about 3,055,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Stocker or Order Filler?

Usually not. Only 13% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Warehouse Technician (Nof).

Will AI change the work of a Stocker or Order Filler?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.