Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks

ANZSCO ID 5911

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
109,900
Future Growth
3.3%
Weekly Earnings
$1,309
Full-Time Share
80%
Female Share
44%
Average age
41

Summary

Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks prepare and process orders for goods and services, monitor stock levels and supply sources and maintain stock and inventory levels, record and coordinate the flow of materials between departments, prepare production schedules, and administer and coordinate storage and distribution operations within organisations.

Tasks

  • requisitioning supplies from stock and sending orders to production departments and other firms

  • confirming completion of orders and compliance with details specified, signing tally sheets and attaching to checked items

  • receiving and checking purchase requests against inventory records and stock on hand

  • examining orders and compiling data for production schedules

  • checking inventories and preparing delivery schedules

  • examining containers to ensure that they are filled, and recording quantities

  • investigating and identifying supply sources and preparing and processing purchase orders

  • providing price and other information about goods to prospective customers

  • counting incoming stock and reconciling it with requisitions, and updating inventory and stock location records

  • establishing and coordinating 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
Average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
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 100,000 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
3.3%
(or 3,200 jobs)
From
96,800
in 2021
To
100,000
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 89,000
2012 85,400
2013 88,000
2014 85,200
2015 85,800
2016 82,800
2017 96,900
2018 101,900
2019 87,000
2020 92,600
2021 96,800
2026 100,000

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 83% of people employed as Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 17 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 42 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    More than a third of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,309 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,168
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,631

    Median hourly earnings are $35, this is lower than 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. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. 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 Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,309 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
Wholesale Trade
21.7%
2
Retail Trade
21.3%
3
Manufacturing
17.1%
4
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
13.0%
5
Other industries
26.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks All Jobs Average
NSW 31.6 31.6
VIC 27.6 25.6
QLD 19.7 20.0
SA 6.3 7.0
WA 11.2 10.8
TAS 1.4 2.0
NT 0.8 1.0
ACT 1.3 1.9


  • Around 69% of Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    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
41
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
44%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks is 41 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 44% of the workforce. This is 4 percentage points below 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 Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks All Jobs Average
15-19 1.7 5.0
20-24 7.7 9.3
25-34 25.3 22.9
35-44 25.1 22.0
45-54 23.1 21.6
55-59 8.9 9.0
60-64 5.5 6.0
65 and Over 2.5 4.2
Median Age 41 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 Purchasing or Supply Logistics Clerk. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree in logistics, procurement, business, warehousing operations or another related field.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • 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 Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 5.2 10.1
Bachelor degree 14.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 12.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 19.1 21.1
Year 12 26.5 18.1
Year 11 7.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 14.8 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.

  • 57%

    Active listening

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

  • 55%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 54%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 52%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 52%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 50%

    Active learning

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

  • 48%

    Monitoring

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

  • 46%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 46%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 43%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 41%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 37%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 36%

    Management of financial resources

    Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.

  • 34%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 34%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 34%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 32%

    Learning strategies

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 75%

    Clerical

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

  • 65%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 64%

    Administration and management

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

  • 60%

    English language

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

  • 58%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 57%

    Education and training

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

  • 53%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 47%

    Production and processing

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

  • 44%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 39%

    Transportation

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

  • 37%

    Communications and media

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

  • 34%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 33%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 32%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 30%

    Psychology

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

  • 26%

    Law and government

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

  • 21%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 17%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 17%

    Mechanical

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

  • 12%

    Medicine and dentistry

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Near vision

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

  • 55%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 48%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 45%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 45%

    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%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 34%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 34%

    Originality

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

  • 32%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 30%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 30%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 29%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 29%

    Flexibility of closure

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


Activities

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

  • 68%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 66%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 63%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 59%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 58%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 58%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 56%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 54%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 52%

    Working with computers

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

  • 52%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 50%

    Providing office support

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

  • 48%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 46%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 45%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 44%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 43%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 42%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 41%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 36%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 28%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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


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.

  • 62%

    Enterprising

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

  • 29%

    Practical

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

  • 24%

    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.

  • 14%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.


Values

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

    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.

  • 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.

  • 57%

    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%

    Achievement

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

  • 48%

    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.

  • 48%

    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.


Demands

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

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 99%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Contact with people

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

  • 92%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 92%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 91%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 91%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 90%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 88%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 87%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 86%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 84%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 80%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 72%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 71%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 70%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 69%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 65%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

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, 43-3061.00 - Procurement Clerks.


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