Data & Research
 
* ELMI Occupation Profile - Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service *
 
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
(O*NET 43-9051.00, SOC 43-9051)
What they do
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Time-stamp, open, read, sort, and route incoming mail; and address, seal, stamp, fold, stuff, and affix postage to outgoing mail or packages. Duties may also include keeping necessary records and completed forms.
 
Also called:
Insert Operator, Inserter Operator, Mail Clerk, Mail Handler, Mail Machine Operator, Mail Processor, Mail Reader, Mail Sorter, Postal Clerk
 
 
Wages
Vermont - 2023
Percentile1HourlyYearly
10% $ 17.00   $35,360  
25% $ 18.09   $37,620  
Median $ 20.81   $43,280  
75% $ 23.53   $48,940  
90% $ 24.76   $51,490  
 
Average $ 20.85   $43,370  
1 What are Percentile Wages?
More at CareerOneStop
 
Industries of Employment
United States - 2022
IndustryPercent of total
  • Administrative and support services
25%
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services
14%
  • Educational services; state, local, and private
7%
  • Insurance carriers and related activities
7%
  • Couriers and messengers
6%
More at BLS
 
Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about:
  • Customer and Personal Service
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
More at O*NET
 
Skills
People in this career often have these skills:
  • Critical Thinking
    Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Monitoring
    Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Reading Comprehension
    Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Speaking
    Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Time Management
    Managing one's own time and the time of others.
More at O*NET
 
Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments:
  • Conventional
    Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
  • Realistic
    Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler
 
Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need:
  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Self-Control
    Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Attention to Detail
    Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Cooperation
    Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
More at O*NET
 
Tasks
On the job, you would:
  • Wrap packages or bundles by hand, or by using tying machines.
  • Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.
  • Remove containers of sorted mail or parcels and transfer them to designated areas according to established procedures.
  • Sort and route incoming mail, and collect outgoing mail, using carts as necessary.
  • Affix postage to packages or letters by hand, or stamp materials, using postage meters.
More at O*NET
 
Related Occupations
More at O*NET
 
 
Career Video
Watch at CareerOneStop with transcript or at YouTube.
 
Projected Employment
 Vermont
2022 employment 91
2032 employment 86
Annual percent change
(compounded)
-0.6%
Annual projected job openings
(due to change and separations)
12
More at Occupational Projections
 
Education and Experience:
  • Typical education needed for entry
    High school diploma or equivalent
  • Work experience in a related occupation
    None
  • Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
    Short-term on-the-job training
Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications
 
Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
 
  • Physical activity is Very Important
  • Level of activity is Moderate
Importance
Low   High
Level
Compare Occupations at O*NET
 
Job Zone
Some Preparation Needed
  • Specific Vocational Preparation Range
    (4.0 to < 6.0) - A typical worker will require over 3 months up to and including 1 year of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP
 
Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have?
Education level Percent of
U.S. Workers
Doctoral or professional degree
or post-MA certificate
  0%
Master's degree or
post-BA certificate
  0%
Bachelor's degree   0%
Associate's degree   6%
Certificate or some college,
no degree
  0%
High school diploma
or equivalent
  48%
Less than high school diploma   45%
More at O*NET
 
Abilities
People in this career often have talent in:
  • Near Vision
    The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension
    The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Category Flexibility
    The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Finger Dexterity
    The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Information Ordering
    The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
More at O*NET
 
Work Activities
In general, what you might do:
  • Performing General Physical Activities
    Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Handling and Moving Objects
    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Getting Information
    Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes
    Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
More at O*NET
 
Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day:
  • Package objects for shipping.
  • Weigh parcels to determine shipping costs.
  • Verify shipping documentation.
  • Inspect items for damage or defects.
  • Unload materials or equipment.
More at O*NET
 
Other Resources
  • CareerOneStop
    resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
  • O*NET Online
    nation's primary source of occupational information
 
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This page includes information from the O*NET 29.0 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.

BLS

This page includes information produced in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and State Occupational Projections programs.

 
 
 
 
Vermont.gov State of Vermont Department of Labor