Mail Clerks

ANZSCO ID 561411

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
2,900
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
60%
Female Share
50%
Average age
47

Summary

Mail Clerks collect, sort and despatch mail within organisations.

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 equipment, 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
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 60% of people employed as Mail Clerks work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 6 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).

    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
48.5%
2
Financial and Insurance Services
6.6%
3
Public Administration and Safety
6.0%
4
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
5.7%
5
Other industries
29.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

30.0% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

15.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.7% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.7% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

4.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Mail Clerks All Jobs Average
NSW 34.5 31.6
VIC 30.0 25.6
QLD 15.4 20.0
SA 5.7 7.0
WA 8.2 10.8
TAS 1.7 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 4.0 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
47
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
50%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Mail Clerks is 47 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 Mail Clerks All Jobs Average
15-19 2.8 5.0
20-24 8.4 9.3
25-34 15.8 22.9
35-44 18.0 22.0
45-54 23.8 21.6
55-59 13.2 9.0
60-64 10.7 6.0
65 and Over 7.4 4.2
Median Age 47 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 Mail Clerk. 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 Mail Clerks All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 2.9 10.1
Bachelor degree 11.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 9.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 12.6 21.1
Year 12 31.8 18.1
Year 11 8.8 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.

  • 41%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 41%

    Monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 39%

    Active listening

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

  • 39%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 39%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 37%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 37%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 37%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 37%

    Time management

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

  • 36%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 30%

    Active learning

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

  • 30%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 29%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 29%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 27%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 27%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 27%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 20%

    Troubleshooting

    Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 59%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 42%

    English language

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

  • 40%

    Clerical

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

  • 36%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 35%

    Education and training

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

  • 32%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 29%

    Administration and management

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

  • 28%

    Law and government

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

  • 25%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 22%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 19%

    Transportation

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

  • 19%

    Communications and media

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

  • 14%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 13%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 13%

    Production and processing

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

  • 13%

    Geography

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

  • 11%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 10%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 7%

    Psychology

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

  • 7%

    Engineering and technology

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 45%

    Near vision

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

  • 45%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 43%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 43%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 43%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 41%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 41%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 39%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 39%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 39%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 39%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 39%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 39%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 39%

    Static strength

    Lift, push, pull, or carry things.

  • 39%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 37%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 37%

    Trunk strength

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

  • 36%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.


Activities

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

  • 66%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 45%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 41%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 40%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 38%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 38%

    Controlling equipment or machines

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

  • 38%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 37%

    Working with computers

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

  • 35%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 34%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 34%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 33%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 29%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 29%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 29%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 29%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 28%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 27%

    Providing office support

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

  • 27%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 26%

    Planning and prioritising work

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


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.

  • 95%

    Administrative

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

  • 86%

    Practical

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

  • 33%

    Analytical

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

  • 33%

    Enterprising

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

  • 19%

    Creative

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

  • 19%

    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.
  • 52%

    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.

  • 33%

    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.

  • 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%

    Achievement

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

  • 29%

    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.

  • 24%

    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:
  • 99%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 97%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 94%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 94%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 93%

    Contact with people

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

  • 90%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 88%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 87%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 85%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 82%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 82%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 81%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 80%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 78%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 77%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 75%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 73%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 73%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

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, 43-9051.00 - Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service.


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