Order Clerks

ANZSCO ID 591117

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
13,400
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
77%
Female Share
68%
Average age
38

Summary

Order Clerks receive and process incoming orders for goods and services from inside or outside organisations.

Also known as: Customer Orders Clerk or Sales Order Clerk.

Specialisations: Internal Salesperson, Mail Order Clerk.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as an Order Clerk. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in business, management or accounting.

Tasks

  • Requisitions supplies from stock and sends orders to production departments and other firms.

  • Confirms completion of orders and compliance with details specified, signs tally sheets and attaches to checked items.

  • Receives and checks purchase requests against inventory records and stock on hand.

  • Counts incoming stock and reconciles it with requisitions, and updates inventory and stock location records.

  • Establishes and co-ordinates the operating procedures for receiving, handling, storing and shipping goods.

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 77% of people employed as Order Clerks work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 11 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Wholesale Trade
24.7%
2
Manufacturing
17.4%
3
Retail Trade
16.2%
4
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
5.0%
5
Other industries
30.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

33.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

26.9% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.9% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.7% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.9% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.4% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.6% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Order Clerks All Jobs Average
NSW 33.6 31.6
VIC 26.9 25.6
QLD 19.9 20.0
SA 6.7 7.0
WA 10.9 10.8
TAS 1.1 2.0
NT 0.4 1.0
ACT 0.6 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
38
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
68%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Order Clerks is 38 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 68% of the workforce. This is 20 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Order Clerks All Jobs Average
15-19 2.5 5.0
20-24 10.9 9.3
25-34 28.9 22.9
35-44 23.2 22.0
45-54 19.9 21.6
55-59 7.4 9.0
60-64 4.8 6.0
65 and Over 2.4 4.2
Median Age 38 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as an Order Clerk. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in business, management or accounting.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Transport and Logistics Training Package VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Order Clerks All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.9 10.1
Bachelor degree 15.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 12.7 11.6
Certificate III/IV 18.6 21.1
Year 12 28.5 18.1
Year 11 7.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 13.4 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks who interact well with others, are organised, trustworthy and responsible.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 52%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 48%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 48%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 46%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 46%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 43%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 43%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 41%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 39%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 39%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 37%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 37%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 30%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 30%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 30%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 29%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 64%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 62%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 57%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 52%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 48%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 46%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 42%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 41%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 38%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 37%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 36%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 35%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 34%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 32%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 29%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 28%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 27%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 25%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 20%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 19%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 55%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 54%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 43%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 41%

    Speed of recognition

    Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 41%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 39%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 37%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 36%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 30%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 70%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 66%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 65%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 63%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 63%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 63%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 61%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 61%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 61%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 61%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 60%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 60%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 56%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 56%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 56%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 55%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 55%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 54%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 49%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

  • 48%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 71%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 43%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 19%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 19%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 62%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 52%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 50%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 48%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 33%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 33%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 98%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 97%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 96%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 91%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 86%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 85%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 85%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 84%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 80%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 78%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 74%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 73%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 72%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 70%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 70%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 65%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 64%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 43-4151.00 - Order Clerks.


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