Organizations of all kinds businesses, government agencies, unions, health care facilities, and colleges and universities need to keep accurate records. Maintaining and updating financial as well as nonfinancial records, ranging from payroll records to information on the shipment of goods to bank statements, is the job of record clerks. (Additional information about specific record clerk occupations is provided in the separate statements in this section.)
Record clerks perform a wide variety of recordkeeping duties. Billing clerks prepare bills and invoices. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks maintain financial data in computer and paper files. Brokerage clerks prepare and maintain the records generated when stocks, bonds, and other types of investments are traded. Statement clerks prepare monthly statements for bank customers. File clerks store and retrieve various kinds of office information for use by members of the staff. Library assistants check books in and out. Order clerks process incoming orders for goods and services. Payroll and timekeeping clerks compute wages for payroll records. Personnel clerks keep employee records current.
Record clerks' duties may vary with the size of the firm. In a small business, for example, one bookkeeping clerk may handle all financial records and transactions as well as payroll and personnel duties while a large firm may employ specialized accounting clerks to work on each aspect of the balance sheet, as well as specialized payroll and personnel clerks.
Increased computerization has changed the duties of most record clerks. In the past, for example, clerks made calculations with adding machines and entered figures into ledgers and paper files. Now, many workers use financial software to enter and manipulate data. In many cases, these computer programs can automatically perform calculations on data that previously had to be calculated manually. Computers enable clerks to access data within files more quickly than by leafing through stacks of paper. Despite increased automation, however, workers still keep backup paper records for research, auditing, and reference purposes.
Interaction with the public and with coworkers is a basic part of the job of many record clerks. Payroll clerks, for example, may answer employees' questions concerning benefits; bookmobile drivers help patients in nursing homes and hospitals select books; and order clerks may call customers to verify special mailing instructions.
With the exception of library clerks and bookmobile drivers, record clerks work in a typical office environment. Most work alongside the organization's other clerical workers, but some work in centralized units away from the organization's front office. Clerks who review detailed data may have to sit for extended periods. Although they do not do heavy lifting, file clerks and library assistants must frequently stoop, bend, reach, and spend a lot of time on their feet. Bookmobile drivers must maneuver their large vehicles in all kinds of traffic and weather conditions. In addition, some are responsible for the maintenance of the bookmobile.
An increasing number of record clerks use video display terminals time at VDT's may experience eyestrain and muscle strain, backaches, headaches, and repetitive motion injuries.
Most of these workers work regular business hours. Some, such as library assistants, may work evenings and weekends. Library assistants employed in school libraries generally work only during the school year. Accounting clerks may work longer hours to meet deadlines at the end of the fiscal year, during tax time, or when monthly and yearly accounting audits are performed. Billing, bookkeeping, and accounting clerks in hotels, restaurants, and stores may work overtime during peak holiday and vacation seasons. Brokerage clerks may have to work overtime if there is a high volume of activity in the stock or bond markets. Order clerks in retail establishments may work overtime when sales volume is high, especially around Christmas.
Record clerks held about 3,573,000 jobs in 1992. The following tabulation indicates the employment in each occupation.
Total................................................................100
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks......................... 59
Billing clerks and related workers................................... 11
Order clerks, material, merchandise, and service..................... 8
File clerks.......................................................... 7
Payroll and timekeeping clerks....................................... 5
Personnel clerks, except payroll and timekeeping..................... 4
Library assistants and bookmobile drivers............................ 3
Brokerage and statement clerks....................................... 3
These workers are employed in virtually every industry. The largest number work for firms providing health, business, and other types of services. Large numbers also work in trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; manufacturing; and government.
Most record clerk jobs are entry level positions. Most employers require applicants to have at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. A higher level of education will usually be favored over a high school diploma, but it is not generally required. However, in some cases, more extensive education is mandatory. For example, order clerks in high-technology firms often need to understand scientific and mechanical processes, which may require some college education. Regardless of the type of work being done, most employers prefer those who are computer literate. Knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs is especially valuable, as is experience working in an office and good interpersonal skills.
High schools, business schools, and community colleges teach office skills. Business education programs typically include courses in typing (keyboarding), word processing, shorthand, business communications, records management, and office systems and procedures. Technical training needed for some specialized order clerk positions can be obtained in technical institutes and in 2- and 4-year colleges.
Some entrants are college graduates with degrees in business, finance, or the liberal arts. Although a degree is rarely required, many graduates take entry level clerical positions to get into a company or into the finance and accounting field, with the hope of being promoted to professional or managerial jobs. Some companies, such as brokerage and accounting firms, have a set plan of advancement that tracks college graduates from entry level clerk jobs into management positions. These workers may start at higher salaries and advance more rapidly than those without a degree.
Once hired, record clerks generally receive on-the-job training. Under the guidance of a supervisor or senior worker, new employees learn procedures to follow. Some formal classroom training may be necessary, such as training in operating specific computer software. Record clerks must be careful, orderly, and detail oriented in order to avoid making errors and to be able to recognize errors made by others. These workers must also be honest, discreet, and trustworthy because they frequently come in contact with confidential material. Payroll clerks, billing clerks, and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks should have a strong aptitude for numbers. Because statement clerks have access to individuals' financial information, they must be bonded. Many bookmobile drivers are now required to have a commercial driver's license.
Workers usually advance by taking on more duties in the same occupation with higher pay. Others advance to closely related occupations. For example, some order clerks use their experience to move into a sales position. Others move into another clerical job, such as secretary, or advance to a supervisory position. With appropriate experience and education, some clerks may become accountants, personnel specialists, brokers, or librarians.
Higher than average turnover in this large occupation places it among those occupations providing the most job openings. Opportunities will be very plentiful for full-time, part-time, and seasonal employment as record clerks transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. These are entry level jobs that require little formal preparation and are characterized by a lot of movement into and out of them.
Employment of record clerks is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Despite continued growth in the volume of business transactions, rising productivity will result in slow employment growth.
The main factor affecting productivity in these occupations is the spread of office automation. Many of these jobs are back office clerical positions, which have already been heavily automated in many organizations. Productivity has increased significantly as workers use word processors and personal computers instead of more time-consuming equipment such as typewriters, adding machines, and calculators. The growing use of equipment such as bar code readers, point-of-sale terminals, and optical scanners by other employees also reduces much of the data entry handled by record clerks. Managers and professionals now do much of their own clerical work, using computers to access, create, and store data directly in the computer system. The growing use of local area networks is also facilitating electronic data interchange (EDI). EDI refers to the sending of data from computer to computer, without the need for clerks to reenter the data. To further eliminate duplicate functions, more large companies may consolidate all their clerical operations in a central office where accounting, billing, personnel, and payroll functions are performed for all satellite offices in the organization.
Salaries of record clerks vary considerably. Region of the country, size of city, and type and size of establishment all influence salary levels. The level of industry or technical expertise required and the complexity and uniqueness of a clerk's responsibilities may also affect earnings. Average salaries vary by detailed occupation, as shown in the following tabulation.
Order clerks..................................................$22,200
Payroll and timekeeping clerks................................ 21,000
Personnel clerks.............................................. 20,300
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks.................. 19,100
Billing clerks................................................ 18,400
Library assistants and bookmobile drivers..................... 16,400
File clerks................................................... 15,700
In the Federal Government in 1993, payroll and timekeeping clerks and personnel clerks with a high school diploma or 6 months of clerical experience started at $14,600. In 1993, the average salary for all payroll and timekeeping clerks was $20,300, and for personnel clerks, $23,700.
In addition to salary, record clerks receive the same package of benefits as other employees in the organization. In large and medium-size establishments, sick and annual leave, life and health insurance, and retirement plans are common.
Most record clerks today enter data into a computer system and perform basic analysis of the data. Other clerical workers who enter and manipulate data are bank tellers, statistical clerks, receiving clerks, medical record clerks, hotel and motel clerks, credit clerks, and reservation and transportation ticket agents.
Return to Beginning of Page 
Return to Clerical Studies Page
Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor