Mail clerks and messengers help businesses and governments run efficiently by moving and distributing information, documents, and small packages.
Most large organizations employ mail clerks to handle their internal mail. Internal mail goes back and forth among people, offices, or departments within a firm or institution. It ranges from memos to key personnel to bulletins on job issues to all employees. Mail clerks sort internal mail and deliver it to their fellow employees, often using carts to carry the mail between offices.
Mail clerks also handle external mail, serving as the link between the U.S. Postal Service and individual offices and workers. They sort incoming mail and deliver mail within large office buildings. They also prepare outgoing mail which may range from advertising flyers, to customers' orders, to legal documents for delivery to the post office. Many organizations mail numbers of identical items; mail clerks may prepare materials for mailing by folding and inserting them into envelopes, and affixing the proper postage. Mail may be sent registered, certified, special delivery or first, second, third, or fourth class. When necessary, they contact delivery services to send important letters or parcels. Mail clerks also may sort large mailings by zip code before delivery to the post office. In larger organizations, or organizations with a large volume of outgoing mail, mail clerks often operate machines which collate, fold, and insert material to be mailed into envelopes. They also operate machines which affix postage. In addition, mail clerks increasingly use computers to keep their records of incoming and outgoing items.
Messengers pick up and deliver letters, important business documents, or small packages which need to be sent or received in a hurry from one side of town to another. By sending an item by messenger, the sender ensures that it reaches its destination the same day or even within the hour. Messengers also deliver items which the sender is unwilling to entrust to other means of delivery, such as important legal or financial documents. Some messengers pick up and deliver important small packages such as medical samples to be tested.
Messengers receive their instructions either by reporting to their office in person or by telephone or two-way radio. They then pick up the item and carry it to its destination. After a delivery, they check with their office and receive instructions about the next delivery. Consequently, most messengers spend most of their time outdoors or in their vehicle. Messengers usually maintain records of deliveries and often obtain signatures from the persons receiving the items.
Most messengers deliver items within a limited geographic area, such as a city or metropolitan area. Items which need to go longer distances usually are sent by mail or by an overnight delivery service. Some messengers carry items only for their employer, which typically might be a law firm, bank, or financial institution. Other messengers may act as part of an organization's internal mail system and mainly carry items between an organization's buildings or entirely within one building. Many messengers work for messenger or courier services; for a fee they pick up items from anyone and deliver them to specified destinations within a local area.
Messengers reach their destination by several methods. Many drive vans or cars or ride motorcycles. A few travel by foot, especially in urban areas or when making deliveries nearby. In congested urban areas, messengers often use bicycles, since this is the fastest way to travel in heavy traffic. Bicycle messengers usually are employed by messenger or courier services. Only electronic facsimile (FAX) machines that send copies of documents over telephone lines can deliver information faster in a city than bicycle messengers, but for many types of business transactions a FAX copy cannot substitute for the original document.
Some messengers, especially those who work for courier services, provide and maintain their own transportation. They receive a fee for each delivery, from which they must deduct any expenses associated with the operation of their vehicle. Unlike other messengers, they seldom receive paid vacations, sick leave, health insurance, or other benefits.
Mail clerks sort internal mail and deliver it to their fellow employees.
Working conditions for mail clerks are much different from the working conditions for most messengers. Most mail clerks work regular hours, spending much of their time in mailrooms, which are usually located in office buildings. Although mailrooms are usually clean and well lighted, there may be noise from mail-handling machines. Most of the rest of their time is spent making mail deliveries throughout an office building. Mail clerks spend most of their time on their feet while sorting and delivering mail and operating machinery, which can be tiring and physically demanding. They are sometimes required to lift heavy objects but usually the work is not strenuous.
Messengers work in a less structured environment than mail clerks because they spend most of their time alone making deliveries and usually are not closely supervised. Although many messengers work full time during regular business hours, some messengers work nights and weekends.
Messengers who deliver by bicycle must be physically fit and are exposed to all weather conditions as well as the many hazards connected with heavy traffic. Some messengers, especially those who work for courier services, are paid according to the number of deliveries made and distance traveled. The pressure to make as many deliveries as possible to increase earnings can be stressful and may lead to unsafe driving or bicycling practices.
Messengers and mail clerks together held about 271,000 jobs in 1992; about 131,000 were mail clerks and 140,000 were messengers. Only about 12 percent of the messengers were employed by courier and messenger services. About 12 percent worked for law firms, and 12 percent worked for hospitals and medical and dental laboratories. Financial institutions, such as commercial banks, saving institutions, and credit unions, employed 10 percent. The rest were employed in a wide variety of other industries.
In 1992, about one-fifth of all mail clerks worked in Federal, State, and local governments. Others were employed in a wide range of industries. Very few messengers or mail clerks were self-employed.
There are no formal qualifications or training required to be a mail clerk or messenger, although some employers prefer high school graduates. This is a first job for many.
Mail clerks must be careful and dependable workers. They must be able to do routine work and work well with their hands. They are usually trained on the job. If they operate computers and mail-handling machinery to help prepare mailings, training may be provided by another employee or by a representative of the machinery manufacturer. Mail clerks are sometimes required to have a driver's license if they make deliveries to other buildings.
Messengers are required to have a driver's license if they operate a motor vehicle; many messengers are required to provide and maintain their own vehicle. They need a good knowledge of the geographic area in which they travel as well as a good sense of direction.
Some mail clerks, depending on the size of the operation, advance to positions as clerical staff supervisors or office managers. Other mail clerks transfer to related jobs with the U.S. Postal Service, if they pass the competitive entrance examination. (Information on postal clerk and mail carrier careers appears elsewhere in the Handbook.) Messengers, especially those who work for messenger or courier services, have limited advancement opportunities.
Employment of mail clerks and messengers is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 despite an increasing volume of internal mail, parcels, business documents, promotional materials, and other written information that must be handled and delivered as the economy expands. Nevertheless, job opportunities are expected to be plentiful for mail clerks and messengers through the year 2005. Most job openings will stem from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. Mail clerk and messenger jobs are attractive to many because the limited formal education and training requirements allow easy entry, making them attractive to persons seeking their first job or a short-term source of income. This is especially true for messengers, many of whom work in this occupation a relatively short time.
Businesses' growing reliance on directly mailing advertising and promotional materials to prospective customers will result in increasing amounts of mail to be handled. However, increasing automation of mail-handling will enable mail clerks to handle a growing volume of mail. In addition, employment of mail clerks will be limited by more widespread use of robot mail carts to distribute mail in large office buildings.
Employment of messengers will grow more slowly as new electronic information-handling technology comes into more widespread use. Electronic facsimile, or FAX machines, for example, allow copies of documents to be immediately sent across town or across the country and are rapidly becoming standard office equipment. The transmission of information through telephone lines between computers will also reduce the demand for messengers as more computers are connected to networks. However, messengers will still be needed to transport materials which cannot be sent electronically, such as legal documents, blueprints and other over-sized materials, large multipage documents, and securities. Also, messengers will still be required by medical and dental laboratories to pick up and deliver medical samples, specimens, and other materials.
Median weekly earnings of full-time mail clerks were about $300 in 1992; the middle 50 percent earned between $240 and $390 a week. Median weekly earnings of full-time messengers were about $350. The middle 50 percent of messengers earned between $250 and $560 a week. Messengers occasionally receive tips from clients, but this is not a significant part of their earnings.
Some messengers are paid by commission rather than earning a regular wage. The commission usually is based on the number of deliveries made, the distance traveled, and the fee charged to the customer. They must provide their own transportation and must pay fuel and maintenance costs. The more deliveries they make and the faster they travel, the more they earn. They seldom receive paid vacation or sick leave, health insurance, or other benefits. Messengers working for employers other than messenger and courier services usually are paid by the hour and receive the benefits offered to all employees.
Mail clerks are usually paid by the hour and benefits often include health and life insurance, sick leave, vacation pay, and pension plan.
Messengers and mail clerks sort and deliver letters, parcels, and other items. They also keep accurate records of their work. Others who do similar work are postal clerks and mail carriers, route drivers, traffic, shipping, and receiving clerks, correspondence review clerks, vault workers, parcel post clerks, and reconsignment clerks.
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor