Occupation Profile

Postal Service Mail Processors

(SOC Code : 43-5053)

in California

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Examine, sort, and route mail by State, type of mail, or other scheme. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks; and other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Must complete a competitive exam. Exclude "Postal Service Clerks" (43-5051) and "Postal Service Mail Carriers" (43-5052).

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Short-term on-the-job training .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$24.62	$25.35	$25.88	$25.89

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	15,300	7,600	-7,700	-50.3	80

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Data for Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List) not available.

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

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About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer controlled keyboards or voice recognition equipment.

Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.

Serve the public at counters or windows, such as by selling stamps and weighing parcels.

Supervise other mail sorters.

Train new workers.

Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.

Distribute incoming mail into the correct boxes or pigeonholes.

Search directories to find correct addresses for redirected mail.

Clear jams in sorting equipment.

Open and label mail containers.

More Tasks for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Time Management - Managing one`s own time and the time of others.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

More Skills for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

Data for Tasks not available.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

More Interests for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators