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General Office Clerks (NOC 1411)
Description
General office clerks prepare correspondence, reports, statements and other material, operate office equipment, answer telephones and perform clerical duties of a general nature according to established procedures. They are employed in offices throughout the public and private sectors.
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Example Titles
- general office clerk
- office assistant
- office clerk
- typist
- word processor operator
>> View all titles
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Classified Elsewhere
- Administrative Clerks (1441)
- Data Entry Clerk (1422)
- Receptionists and Switchboard Operators (1414)
- Records Management and Filing Clerks (1413)
- Secretaries (Except Legal and Medical) (1241)
- Supervisors, General Office and Administrative support Clerks (1211)
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Duties
General office clerks perform some or all of the following duties:
- Key in, edit, proofread and finalize correspondence, reports, statements, invoices, forms, presentations and other documents, from notes or dictaphone, using computers
- Respond to telephone, in person or electronic enquiries or forward to appropriate person
- Provide general information to clients and the public
- Photocopy and collate documents for distribution, mailing and filing
- Maintain and prepare reports from manual or electronic files, inventories, mailing lists and databases
- Process incoming and outgoing mail, manually or electronically
- Send and receive messages and documents using fax machine or electronic mail
- May perform bookkeeping tasks such as preparing invoices and bank deposits
- May sort, process and verify applications, receipts, expenditures, forms and other documents
- May order office supplies, service office equipment and arrange for servicing in the case of major repairs.
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Skills
General office clerks need the following skills and abilities:
- good organizational skills the ability to handle a variety of different projects at one time, and to complete projects on time,
- ability to read and write clearly with good spelling and grammar,
- ability to pay attention to detail and proofread effectively,
- basic numeracy skills and problem-solving skills,
- ability to use office technology such as, computers,
- printers, scanners, photocopiers, fax machines, etc.
- ability to work well with others,
- ability to concentrate on routine and repetitive tasks for long periods,
- ability to adapt to new systems and approaches.
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Employment Requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required. Some office experience may be required.
- Some employers require completion of business courses at secondary school or college.
- Word processor operators may be required to be able to type a specified number of words per minute, usually 60.
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Terms & Conditions
General office clerks usually work in an office environment. Most of their time is spent sitting at a desk, using telephones, computers, and doing clerical work. They may also be required to stand for periods of time to do filing. Most general office clerks work normal business hours Monday through Friday. Overtime or week end work may be required occasionally. Part time work is common (22%).
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Earnings
$24,200 per annum - starting
$33,700 per annum - average
$47,300 per annum - high
Earnings are reviewed annually or more frequently if new information becomes available.
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Education / Training
- Assiniboine Community College, l'École technique et professionnelle, Red River College and the University College of the North offer diploma and certificate programs in business/office administration.
- Atoskiwin Training and Employment Centre offers a program in clerical skills.
- The following Private Vocational Institutions in Manitoba offer programs in this field: Academy of Learning (Brandon, Dauphin, South, Winnipeg, Swan River), Anokiiwin Training Institute, CDI College, Herzing College, Patal Vocational Preparatory Schools, Robertson College, Winnipeg Technical College, Yellowquill College.
- Some high schools in Manitoba offer a program in Business Education.
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Career Paths
General office clerk is often an entry-level job and may be offered to persons with no prior experience. Volunteer work or other unrelated job experience may be required.
Jobs usually begin with routine tasks such as filing and opening mail, with more complex tasks added as individuals show they are competent.
With experience, clerks may advance to supervisory positions or to jobs as accounting clerk, secretary, or administrative assistant.
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Outlook
Employment prospects for general office clerks are expected to be good in the period 2010-2014. Employment in Manitoba in 2010 is estimated at 10,535.
The employment outlook will be affected by the increasing use of technology, expanding office automation, and the consolidation of administrative support tasks. Office equipment technology advances such as corporate computer systems, e-mail. automated telephone voice mail systems and wireless communication devices are reducing the amount of clerical work in offices and making it possible for other employees to perform tasks office clerks would have done. However, this is a large occupational group, and prospects for employment are expected to remain bright due to high replacement needs. While general office clerks work in all sectors significant numbers work in sectors least affected by economic conditions.
General office clerks are employed throughout the province, although there are proportionally more in Winnipeg. They are found in almost all industry sectors. The highest concentrations are in Public Administration (22%), Health Care and Social Assistance (12%) and Finance and Insurance (9%).
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Employment by Age Group
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Employment by Industry
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Employment by Region
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Employment by Gender
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Employment by Aboriginal Self-Identification
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Employment by Visible Minority
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Please Note - The source for above charts is the 2006 Census.
Professional Associations, Unions, and Regulatory Bodies...
- International Association of Administrative Professionals, http://www.iaapwinnipeg.com
- Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, http://www.mgeu.mb.ca
- Office Professional Employees International Union Local 342, 403-D275 Broadway Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4M6, Telephone: (204) 942-0899, Fax: (204) 947-6513
- Canadian Union of Public Employees, http://www.cupe.mb.ca/
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Other Related Information...
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