Top Skills for This Career
BLS identifies these as the three highest-rated skills for this detailed occupation. TrustInEd adds the plain-language explanations so visitors understand what each skill means.
Paying close attention to accuracy, quality, instructions, and small but important details.
Adjusting effectively when priorities, conditions, tools, or expectations change.
Identifying problems, considering possible solutions, and choosing appropriate actions.
How Do You Prepare for This Career?
BLS describes the typical preparation for this occupation. Requirements can vary by employer, state, licensing rules and individual circumstances.
How to Become One
How to Become a Material Recording Clerk Material recording clerks learn on the job from an experienced worker. Material recording clerks typically need a high school diploma or equivalent and are trained on the job.
Education
Material recording clerks typically need a high school diploma or equivalent. Some employers prefer to hire production, planning, and expediting clerks who have a college degree.
Training
Material recording clerks usually learn on the job. Training for most material recording clerks lasts up to 1 month. Production, planning, and expediting clerks may train for up to 6 months. Material recording clerks first may learn to count stock and mark inventory and then move on to more difficult tasks, such as recordkeeping. Production clerks first typically learn how their company operates before they write production and work schedules. Workers learn safety rules as part of their training. Many of these rules are standardized through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Advancement With additional training or education, material recording clerks may advance to other positions, such as purchasing agent, within their company.
Your Next Step
Review training, certifications, apprenticeships, or employer-based preparation that may support entry into this career.
Pay
the median annual wage for all workers was $50,980.
Job Outlook
Job Outlook Overall employment of material recording clerks is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, decline. About 98,600 openings for material recording clerks are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Employment As e-commerce continues to grow, companies are expanding their use of automated storage and retrieval tools to meet rising demand for products and for faster delivery. These types of technologies, including radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and collaborative robots, will improve the efficiency of many warehouse operations, reducing demand for various material recording clerks. Material Recording Clerks Percent change in employment, projected 2025–35 Total, all occupations 3% Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers -2% Material recording clerks -6% Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
What They Do
What Material Recording Clerks Do
Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.
Duties
Material recording clerks typically do the following:
- Keep records of items shipped, received, or transferred to another location
- Compile reports on various changes in production or inventory
- Organize the assembly, distribution, or delivery of goods to meet production schedules
- Prepare materials for shipping by labeling or checking packages
- Examine products for damage or defects
- Check inventory records for accuracy
Material recording clerks use computers or hand-held devices to keep track of inventory. Sensors and tags enable these electronic tools to automatically detect when and where products are moved, allowing clerks to keep updated reports without manually counting items.
The following are examples of types of material recording clerks:
Production, planning, and expediting clerks manage the flow of information, work, and materials within or among offices in a business. They compile reports on the progress of work and on any production problems that arise. These clerks set workers’ schedules, estimate costs, keep track of materials, and write special orders for new materials. They also do general office tasks, such as entering data or distributing mail. Expediting clerks maintain contact with vendors to ensure that supplies and equipment are shipped on time.
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks keep track of and record outgoing and incoming shipments. Clerks may scan barcodes with handheld devices or use radio frequency identification (RFID) scanners to keep track of inventory. They check to see whether shipment orders were processed correctly in their company’s computer system. They also compute freight costs, prepare invoices, and write inventory reports. Some clerks move goods from the warehouse to the loading dock.
Material and product inspecting clerks weigh, measure, check, sample, and keep records on materials, supplies, and equipment that enters a warehouse. They verify the quantity and quality of items they are assigned to examine, checking for defects and recording what they find. They use scales, counting devices, and calculators. Some decide what to do about a defective product, such as to scrap it or send it back to the factory to be repaired.
Work Environment
Work Environment
Material recording clerks held about 1.3 million jobs in 2025. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up material recording clerks was distributed as follows:
| Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks | 827,700 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks | 392,100 |
| Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping | 53,600 |
The largest employers of material recording clerks were as follows:
| Manufacturing | 28% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 14 |
| Retail trade | 14 |
| Wholesale trade | 13 |
| Temporary help services | 3 |
Material recording clerks usually work in an office inside a warehouse or manufacturing plant.
These workers also may spend time on the warehouse or plant floor to handle packages or automatic equipment, such as conveyor systems.
Injuries and Illnesses
Some material recording clerks may need to lift heavy items and to bend frequently, which may lead to injury. Using proper lifting techniques helps to reduce the risk of harm.
Work Schedules
Most material recording clerks work full time. Some work nights and weekends or holidays.
Important Qualities
The following are examples of qualities that are important for these workers to perform their duties. For more information, visit the Employment Projections (EP) skills data page. Communication skills. Material recording clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, or managers and need to convey their company’s needs effectively. Customer-service skills. Material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints. Detail oriented. Material and product inspecting clerks must pay attention to detail when checking items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot. Math skills. Material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements.
More Information
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about material recording clerks by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
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Start with ED →Career data and occupational profile text are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections program. Education requirements are typical entry-level requirements and may vary by employer, state, occupation or individual circumstance. View the official BLS profile.