Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks

Median salary

$59,650

Average salary

$62,150

Employment

390,160

Projected growth

1.8% decline

Annual openings

34,100

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks Do

Coordinate and expedite the flow of work and materials within or between departments of an establishment according to production schedule. Duties include reviewing and distributing production, work, and shipment schedules; conferring with department supervisors to determine progress of work and completion dates; and compiling reports on progress of work, inventory levels, costs, and production problems.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Production and Processingimportance 4.3/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.8/5
English Languageimportance 3.6/5
Administrativeimportance 3.6/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.3/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.8/5
Transportationimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.6/5
Time Pressure4.5/5
E-Mail4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Architectural and Engineering Managers97% skill match
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers96% skill match
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents96% skill match
Residential Advisors95% skill match
Administrative Services Managers95% skill match
Conservation Scientists94% skill match
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers94% skill match
General and Operations Managers94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Time Managementimportance 3.5/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
Systems Analysisimportance 2.9/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 2.8/5
Persuasionimportance 2.6/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

ABB Production Planning
ADi SmartBOL
Accvision ABMIS
Aestiva Purchase Order
Airtable
Applied Software Technologies Asset Maintenance and Materials Management System
Asprova
Bill of lading software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Attention to Detail
Cooperation
Adaptability
Integrity
Achievement Orientation
Cautiousness

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
EnterprisingMedium
RealisticMedium
SocialLow
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where production, planning, and expediting clerks make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).