What Does it Take to Be a Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk?

Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk Definition 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.

List of Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk Job Duties

• Requisition and maintain inventories of materials or supplies necessary to meet production demands.
• Establish and prepare product construction directions and locations and information on required tools, materials, equipment, numbers of workers needed, and cost projections.
• Distribute production schedules or work orders to departments.
• Confer with establishment personnel, vendors, or customers to coordinate production or shipping activities and to resolve complaints or eliminate delays.
• Review documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities.
• Calculate figures, such as required amounts of labor or materials, manufacturing costs, or wages, using pricing schedules, adding machines, calculators, or computers.

Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk Required Skills

Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk

• Traffic Clerk
• Order Dispatcher
• Retort Load Expediter
• Logistics Clerk
• Schedule Clerk

Job Demand for Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 329,400 jobs in the United States for Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 18,000 new jobs for Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk by 2026. The BLS estimates 35,500 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk are Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Delaware, Maine, or New Hampshire. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk Average Salary

The salary for Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks ranges between about $29,610 and $75,110 a year.

Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks who work in Wyoming, District of Columbia, or New Mexico, make the highest salaries.

How much do Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks make in each U.S. state?

State	Annual Mean Salary
Alabama	$45,550
Alaska	$55,830
Arizona	$49,260
Arkansas	$48,740
California	$52,480
Colorado	$53,410
Connecticut	$56,370
Delaware	$52,980
District of Columbia	$60,830
Florida	$44,760
Georgia	$49,230
Hawaii	$52,390
Idaho	$45,690
Illinois	$49,270
Indiana	$50,320
Iowa	$48,380
Kansas	$51,340
Kentucky	$46,710
Louisiana	$53,960
Maine	$54,170
Maryland	$50,260
Massachusetts	$55,830
Michigan	$49,870
Minnesota	$50,760
Mississippi	$44,240
Missouri	$48,370
Montana	$52,910
Nebraska	$45,030
Nevada	$45,570
New Hampshire	$53,880
New Jersey	$50,860
New Mexico	$58,040
New York	$50,850
North Carolina	$46,240
North Dakota	$49,610
Ohio	$49,990
Oklahoma	$50,560
Oregon	$50,920
Pennsylvania	$47,850
Rhode Island	$54,370
South Carolina	$46,270
South Dakota	$41,830
Tennessee	$46,750
Texas	$49,310
Utah	$47,490
Vermont	$49,650
Virginia	$52,440
Washington	$51,000
West Virginia	$48,360
Wisconsin	$47,430
Wyoming	$60,020

What Tools do Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Access
• Data entry software
• SAP
• Microsoft Project
• Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
• Structured query language SQL
• Microsoft Dynamics
• IBM Notes
• Google Docs
• FileMaker Pro
• Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
• Oracle PeopleSoft

How to Become a Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk

Learn what Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk education requirements there are.

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks?

Below are examples of industries where Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks work:

Related Careers

Those who work as a Production, Planning, or Expediting Clerk sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

• Farm Labor Contractors

References:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• College Factual
• O*NET Online

Image Credit: Jace Armstrong via public domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.