Home / Occupation profile / Postal Sorting Officers
Print Print

Postal Sorting Officers

ANZSCO ID 561412

Find Vacancies Opens in a new window

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
7,200
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
65%
Female Share
50%
Average age
50
About this data

Summary

Postal Sorting Officers receive, sort and despatch mail in post offices or postal sorting centres.

Specialisations: Parcel Post Officer.

Formal qualifications are not usually required to work as a Postal Sorting Officer. Some workers have Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications in areas such as warehousing, distribution or business.

Tasks

  • Receives and checks incoming mail and mail bags.

  • Assists with the verification of registered and special articles.

  • Operates mail processing equipment such as letter preparation lines, letter indexing and sorting machines, multi-line optical character machines and bar-coding equipment.

  • Performs manual sorting duties and prepares documentation for dispatching mail.

  • Processes underpaid mail, bulk mail lodgements, express mail and other mail services.

  • Investigates complaints regarding lost items.

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Entry level
ANZSCO Occupation group
5614 Mail Sorters
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

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, Mail Sorters, under the outlook section.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 65% of people employed as Postal Sorting Officers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is similar to 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
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
98.5%
2
Public Administration and Safety
0.5%
3
Administrative and Support Services
0.1%
4
Manufacturing
0.1%
5
Other industries
0.3%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

33.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.0% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

18.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.7% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Postal Sorting Officers All Jobs Average
NSW 33.5 31.6
VIC 27.0 25.6
QLD 18.1 20.0
SA 6.3 7.0
WA 11.1 10.8
TAS 1.5 2.0
NT 0.7 1.0
ACT 1.7 1.9


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
50
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
50%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Postal Sorting Officers is 50 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 50% of the workforce. This is similar to 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 Postal Sorting Officers All Jobs Average
15-19 1.1 5.0
20-24 5.1 9.3
25-34 10.0 22.9
35-44 16.7 22.0
45-54 31.7 21.6
55-59 17.7 9.0
60-64 12.1 6.0
65 and Over 5.6 4.2
Median Age 50 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 usually required to work as a Postal Sorting Officer. Some workers have Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications in areas such as warehousing, distribution or business.

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 Postal Sorting Officers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 2.9 10.1
Bachelor degree 13.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 8.1 11.6
Certificate III/IV 12.6 21.1
Year 12 32.4 18.1
Year 11 8.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 22.7 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 Mail Sorters who are efficient, reliable and have a good work ethic.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 41%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 39%

    Active listening

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

  • 39%

    Monitoring

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

  • 39%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 37%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 37%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 37%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 36%

    Time management

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

  • 34%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 34%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 34%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 30%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 30%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 29%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 29%

    Active learning

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

  • 27%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 27%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 27%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 27%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 23%

    Systems analysis

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

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 33%

    English language

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

  • 29%

    Clerical

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

  • 25%

    Administration and management

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

  • 25%

    Transportation

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

  • 24%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 21%

    Production and processing

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

  • 20%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 19%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 19%

    Education and training

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

  • 15%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 15%

    Communications and media

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

  • 14%

    Geography

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

  • 13%

    Psychology

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

  • 12%

    Law and government

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

  • 11%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 10%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 10%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 9%

    Mechanical

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

  • 9%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 7%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 54%

    Near vision

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

  • 48%

    Static strength

    Lift, push, pull, or carry things.

  • 46%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 46%

    Multilimb coordination

    Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • 43%

    Extent flexibility

    Bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • 43%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 43%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 43%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 43%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • 41%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 39%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 39%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 39%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 37%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 37%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 37%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 37%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 36%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 36%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 36%

    Inductive reasoning

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

Activities

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

  • 73%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 54%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 47%

    Doing physically active work

    Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.

  • 45%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 44%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 39%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 38%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 37%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 35%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 35%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 35%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 32%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 32%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 30%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 30%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 28%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 28%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 26%

    Working with computers

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

  • 26%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 23%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

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.

  • 67%

    Practical

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

  • 33%

    Enterprising

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

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 14%

    Analytical

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

  • 14%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 62%

    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.

  • 40%

    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.

  • 33%

    Achievement

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

  • 33%

    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.

  • 29%

    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%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 94%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 91%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 90%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 88%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

    Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.

  • 86%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 85%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 82%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 81%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 81%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 79%

    Pace of work set by equipment

    Pace of work depends on the speed of equipment or machinery.

  • 76%

    Contact with people

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

  • 75%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 75%

    Automation of tasks

    Do tasks that are mostly automated.

  • 73%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 73%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 72%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 70%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 69%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 67%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact 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, 43-5053.00 - Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.

Links and downloads

Back to top