Clerk: Difference between revisions

{{short description|White-collar worker who conducts general office tasks}}

{{Globalize|article|USA|2name=the United States|date=February 2012}}

 

==History and etymology==

 

==United States==

Clerical workers are the largest occupational group in the [[United States]]. In 2004, there were 3.1&nbsp;million general office clerks,<ref name="US Department of Labor, General office clerks">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos130.htm|title=US Department of Labor, General office clerks|access-date=2007-06-07}}</ref> 1.5&nbsp;million office administrative supervisors and 4.1&nbsp;million secretaries.<ref name="US Department of Labor, Secretaries and administrative assistants">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos151.htm#emply|title=US Department of Labor, Secretaries and administrative assistants|access-date=2006-06-07}}</ref> Clerical occupations often do not require a college degree, though some college education or 1 to 2 years in vocational programs are common qualifications. Familiarity with office equipment and certain software programs is also often required. Employers may provide clerical training.<ref name="US Department of Labor, training of secretaries">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos151.htm#training|title=US Department of Labor, training of secretaries|access-date=2007-06-07}}</ref> In 2006, the median salary for clerks was $23,000, while the national median income for workers age 25 or older was $33,000.<ref name="US Census Bureau, personal income istribution, age 25+, 2006">{{cite web |url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/perinc/new03_001.htm |title=U.S. Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006 |access-date=2007-06-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319232115/http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/perinc/new03_001.htm |archive-date=2007-03-19 }}</ref> Median salaries ranged from $22,770 for general office clerks to $34,970 for secretaries and $41,030 for administrative supervisors. Clerical workers are considered [[Working class majority|working class]] by American [[Sociology|sociologists]] such as William Thompson, Joseph Hickey or James Henslin as they perform highly routinized tasks with relatively little autonomy.<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William |author2=Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus

| publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA | isbn = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref> Sociologist [[Dennis Gilbert (sociologist)|Dennis Gilbert]], argues that the white and blue collar divide has shifted to a divide between professionals, including some semi-professionals, and routinized white collar workers.<ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book | last = Gilbert | first = Dennis | year = 1998 | title = The American Class Structure | publisher = Wadsworth Publishing | location = New York | isbn = 0-534-50520-1 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/americanclassstr0000gilb_c7f2 }}</ref> White collar office supervisors may be considered [[lower middle class]] with some secretaries being located in that part of the socio-economic strata where the working and middle classes overlap.

 

==See also==

* [[Clerk baronets]]

* [[Clerk family]]

* [[Lord Justice Clerk]]

* [[Patent clerk]]

* [[Receptionist]]

* [[Pink collar]]