Filing and Registry Clerks

ANZSCO ID 5613

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
13,200
Future Growth
4.7%
Weekly Earnings
$1,490
Full-Time Share
61%
Female Share
79%
Average age
42

Summary

Filing and Registry Clerks process and handle information and documents to maintain access to and security of database and record management systems.

Also known as: Records Clerk.

Specialisations: Medical Record Clerk.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Filing or Registry Clerk. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or university degree in business administration, information management or clerical studies.

Tasks

  • sorting information and documents for filing according to database and record management system protocols

  • classifying and coding information and documents for inclusion in database and record management systems

  • updating and modifying records

  • filing information and documents in database and record management systems

  • identifying and retrieving information and documents for users

  • recording file and document movements

  • labelling storage locations, and assembling and labelling new files

  • removing inactive and dead files

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Entry level
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow moderately
  • is likely to reach 21,700 by 2026.
  • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
4.7%
(or 1,000 jobs)
From
20,800
in 2021
To
21,700
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 20,600
2012 21,400
2013 20,300
2014 17,300
2015 20,100
2016 14,900
2017 14,500
2018 24,300
2019 19,200
2020 17,100
2021 20,800
2026 21,700

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 59% of people employed as Filing and Registry Clerks work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 7 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 40 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours less than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,490 per week, this is lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,248
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,503

    Median hourly earnings are $40, this is similar to the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Filing and Registry Clerks All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,490 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.


Industries

Main industries

1
Public Administration and Safety
31.2%
2
Health Care and Social Assistance
16.8%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
14.5%
4
Construction
10.4%
5
Other industries
26.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

29.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

22.9% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.3% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

15.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

3.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Filing and Registry Clerks All Jobs Average
NSW 29.4 31.6
VIC 22.9 25.6
QLD 19.3 20.0
SA 7.1 7.0
WA 15.2 10.8
TAS 1.5 2.0
NT 1.5 1.0
ACT 3.0 1.9


  • Around 70% of Filing and Registry Clerks live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Western Australia has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
42
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
79%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Filing and Registry Clerks is 42 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

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

    Females make up 79% of the workforce. This is 31 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 Filing and Registry Clerks All Jobs Average
15-19 5.6 5.0
20-24 9.6 9.3
25-34 19.7 22.9
35-44 19.6 22.0
45-54 22.0 21.6
55-59 10.5 9.0
60-64 7.5 6.0
65 and Over 5.5 4.2
Median Age 42 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 a Filing or Registry Clerk. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or university degree in business administration, information management or clerical studies.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Public Sector 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 Filing and Registry Clerks All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 6.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 17.5 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 13.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 15.7 21.1
Year 12 26.1 18.1
Year 11 6.3 4.8
Year 10 and below 14.2 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 Filing and Registry Clerks who have good computer skills, can communicate clearly and can interact with a variety of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 43%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 43%

    Active listening

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

  • 43%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Time management

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

  • 34%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 32%

    Active learning

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

  • 32%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 32%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 32%

    Monitoring

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

  • 32%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 32%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 30%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 30%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 30%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 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.

  • 27%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 25%

    Management of personnel resources

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 69%

    Clerical

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

  • 55%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 54%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 46%

    English language

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

  • 44%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 44%

    Communications and media

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

  • 39%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 39%

    Education and training

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

  • 38%

    Law and government

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

  • 38%

    Production and processing

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

  • 37%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 37%

    Administration and management

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

  • 35%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 34%

    Psychology

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

  • 29%

    Transportation

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

  • 28%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 26%

    Geography

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

  • 26%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 24%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 21%

    Sales and marketing

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Near vision

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

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 45%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 43%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 43%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 41%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 41%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 41%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 41%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 37%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 37%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 29%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.


Activities

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

  • 70%

    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.

  • 60%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 58%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 56%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 55%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 52%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 49%

    Working with computers

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

  • 48%

    Providing office support

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

  • 47%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 47%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 46%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 43%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 43%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 41%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 40%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 39%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 39%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 39%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 38%

    Communicating with the public

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


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.

  • 52%

    Enterprising

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

  • 33%

    Analytical

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

  • 33%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 38%

    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.

  • 33%

    Achievement

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

  • 31%

    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.

  • 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%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 92%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 92%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 90%

    Contact with people

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

  • 86%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 85%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 82%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 80%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 79%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 78%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 78%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 75%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 75%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 73%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 72%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 64%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 61%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 61%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 58%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 57%

    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, 43-4071.00 - File Clerks.


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