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The differences between shipping specialists and logistics clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a shipping specialist and a logistics clerk. Additionally, a shipping specialist has an average salary of $33,465, which is higher than the $33,083 average annual salary of a logistics clerk.
The top three skills for a shipping specialist include logistics, shipping receiving and pallet jack. The most important skills for a logistics clerk are customer service, data entry, and inventory control.
| Shipping Specialist | Logistics Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $33,465 | $33,083 |
| Hourly rate | $16.09 | $15.91 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 181,523 | 102,800 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A shipping specialist is a person who packages, manifests, and tracks all the items requested by the customers - external and internal. They keep strict item handling practices as per the recommended business practices and accurately update the needed tracking systems such as external data sources, spreadsheets, and modules. Besides filing and maintaining shipping document records as per the departmental guidelines, shipping specialists also make it easy to trace shipments by creating or printing identifying labels. Moreover, shipping specialists maintain excellent customer relationships and give timely updates relating to shipments to origin and destination.
Logistics clerks are professionals who are responsible for regulating the supply chain of an organization by performing administrative tasks such as monitoring inventory levels, arranging transportation methods, and managing shipping schedules. These clerks are required to ensure that electronic or paper files are kept accurately and up-to-date so that they can track orders and answer billing questions. They must assist in inspecting orders that arrived in their facility so that they can identify damage and input information into their inventory records. Logistic clerks must also handle replacement for incorrect or damaged goods.
Shipping specialists and logistics clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shipping Specialist | Logistics Clerk | |
| Average salary | $33,465 | $33,083 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Puyallup, WA | Torrance, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a shipping specialist and a logistics clerk in terms of educational background:
| Shipping Specialist | Logistics Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between shipping specialists' and logistics clerks' demographics:
| Shipping Specialist | Logistics Clerk | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |