FindDreamJob Ltd. offers advice to college students who are considering their career options. Therefore, as a company representative, I would like to discuss the career outlook of Information Clerks based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and provide my findings and recommendations. The employment prospects are promising because overall employment of information clerks is expected to expand by 2% from 2020 to 2030, with around 156,800 opportunities for information clerks forecast each year on average during the decade despite low employment growth (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Much of the planned job increase for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks and reservation and transportation ticket agents began in 2020 and is forecasted to last until the end of the decade. Nonetheless, increased usage of online purchasing and reservation systems, as well as self-service ticketing machines, will reduce employment demand.
Essentially, in 2020, there were over 1.3 million job openings for information clerks. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks are the most common employment, with 221,000 persons working in this field, followed by interviewers (excluding eligibility and loan) and judicial, municipal, and license clerks. Information clerks do typical clerical activities such as record keeping, data collection, and customer service. The typical jobs include correspondence, court, file, hotel, motel, resort desk clerks, eligibility interviewers, and human resource assistants. Although most of these professions need only high school education, human resources assistants often require an associate’s degree. Courses in word processing and spreadsheet software are very useful, regardless of whether students seek a degree.
Essentially, information clerks have advancement opportunities as they may be promoted to more responsible administrative jobs, such as secretaries and administrative assistants. After earning a bachelor’s degree, some human resources assistants may advance to human resources experts. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offers vital data on the salary range of information clerks. For instance, in May 2020, the median annual pay for information clerks was $36,920. The lowest 10% made less than $23,270, while the wealthiest 10% received more than $60,590. The majority of information clerks work full-time. On the other hand, part-time work is prevalent for hotel clerks and file clerks. Clerks who work at 24-hour hotels and transportation facilities may be required to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
The career advantage is that most information clerks just need a high school diploma and develop their abilities on the job. Hence, information clerks are used in practically every business. The work of information clerks who provide customer service may be stressful, especially when dealing with unsatisfied clients, which is one of the career disadvantages. Moreover, reservation and transportation ticket agents at airports or shipping counters handle and move big bags or shipments weighing up to 100 pounds. Notably, reservation and transportation ticket agents, as well as travel clerks, have among the highest rates of accidents and illnesses among information clerks.
Typically, information clerks generate routine reports, claims, invoices, or orders, as well as gather and record data from customers, staff, and the general public. The responsibilities also include answering queries from consumers and the general public regarding products or services, as well as filing and preserving paper or electronic data. In a nutshell, information clerks do ordinary clerical activities in a company, organization, or government. Phones, computers, and other office equipment such as scanners and shredders are used.
My primary recommendation is to emphasize the significance of training. Most information clerks undergo on-the-job training that lasts a few weeks. Government employees get training that might take many months and involves learning about government programs and laws. It is critical to strengthen communication and ethics abilities. Customers and the general public must be able to understand information clerks’ policies and practices. Thus, information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to sensitive data. Hence, they must be trusted to follow the privacy and security standards that regulate the disclosure of this data.
Work Cited
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Information Clerks, BLS, 2021, Web.