Mail and Message Distribution Occupations

What they do?

Postal clerks calculate postage for letters, parcels, and registered mail and receive payment at sales counters/postal wickets. They also sell stamps, prepaid mail/money orders, route mail, and perform other related clerical activities.

Mail sorters and mail room clerks sort, label, bag, and route mail in mail processing plants/internal mail rooms.

Letter carriers sort and deliver mail, record delivery of registered mail, and collect payments of cash-on-delivery parcels.

Couriers and messengers pick up and deliver letters, packages, tickets, parcels, and other items, travelling on foot or by bicycle within prescribed time periods.

Door-to-door distributors deliver flyers, handbills, newspapers, and similar items to residences/businesses.

Where they find work?

1. Transportation and warehousing - 68.0%
2. Information and cultural industries - 9.0%
3. Retail trade - 8.0%
4. Public administration - 3.0%
5. Advertising and related services - 3.0%
6. Finance and insurance - 2.0%

What education do I need?

1. You need some high school.

2. To be a mail and postal clerk or mail sorter, you may need a high school diploma and some college office administration courses. With experience/additional training, you may move up the ranks to become a supervisor or facility manager.

3. To be a letter carrier at Canada Post Corporation, you receive between two weeks and one month of training. With experience/additional training, you may move up the ranks to become a supervisor.

4. To be a courier, messenger or door-to-door distributor, you need to be eligible for bonding and may need to be physically fit. You may be able to move into either a clerical or delivery driver position in the company and, with experience, may move up the ranks to become a supervisor.

5. Many recent entrants have either an undergraduate university degree or a community college diploma.

High School Subject that will help:

Math
Computer Basics - Word and Excel
English
Social Studies

What can you expect to make:

The average hourly wages for Mail and Message Distribution Occupations is $16.05/HR, which is close to the average for occupations in the business, finance and administration sector and are close to the average for all intermediate occupations. These wages grew at an above-average rate from 2002 to 2004.

Average Wage

Mail and Message Distribution Occupations wages

Expected Wage by Age

Mail and Message Distribution Occupations Wage By Age

Unemployment:

4% of Mail and Message Distribution Occupations are unemployed. This rate is below the average for intermediate occupations.

Unemployment

Trends in Unemployment

Current Job Outlook:

The job outlook for Mail and Message Distribution Occupations is considered Below Average because:

1. Employment grew at an average rate.

2. Hourly wages ($16.05) are close to the average ($18.07), and the rate of wage growth is above average.

3. The unemployment rate (4%) is close to the 2004 average (7%).

Future Job Prospects:

Your job outlook will continue to be Below Average because:

1. The employment growth rate will likely be below average.

2. Although the retirement rate will likely be average, the number of retiring workers should contribute to job openings.

3. The number of job seekers will likely match the number of job openings.

Highest Concetration:

The highest concentrations (per 10,000 people) of Mail and Message Distributions Occupations are found in Manitoba and Nova Scotia while the lowest concentrations are in Quebec and Newfoundland.

Unionization Rate:

The unionization rate (64%) is above the average (32%) for all occupations.

Useful Experience:

1. Communication skills

2. Sorting skills

3. Computer literacy

Part Time Workers

Part time workers:

30% of Mail and Message Distribution Occupations are employed only on a part-time basis. There were 101,700 workers employed in these occupations in 2004, a decrease of 1% since 1997.