Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
What Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks Do
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Duties include verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material and arranging for the transportation of products. May prepare items for shipment.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 0.6%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job 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.
- Administrativeimportance 3.4/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.1/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.1/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- English Languageimportance 3.0/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.9/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.9/5
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
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Time Pressure4.6/5
- Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled4.5/5
- Contact With Others4.5/5
- Telephone Conversations4.5/5
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.
- Transportation Inspectors97% skill match
- Stockers and Order Fillers96% skill match
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators96% skill match
- Medical Dosimetrists96% skill match
- Surgical Assistants96% skill match
- Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators96% skill match
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians95% skill match
- Registered Nurses95% 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 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.8/5
- Service Orientationimportance 2.6/5
- Instructingimportance 2.5/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
Other Software Used
- ADi SmartBOL
- AES MailSTAR
- Accuship Star System
- Aestiva Purchase Order
- Barcode labeling software
- Bill of lading software
- CMS Consultants WorldLink
- Citrix cloud computing software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalHigh
- RealisticMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- 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 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Elkhart-Goshen, IN2.96× national avg
- 2Kenosha, WI2.62× national avg
- 3Decatur, IL2.47× national avg
- 4Salt Lake City-Murray, UT2.43× national avg
- 5Reno, NV2.36× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Stockers and Order FillersCareer Change
- Flight AttendantsCareer Change
- Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling InvestigatorsCareer Change
- Transportation InspectorsCareer Change
See the full career path from Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks →