jobfacts

Transport and distribution clerks and assistants

SOC 2020 4134

Transport and distribution clerks and assistants perform various clerical functions relating to the transport and distribution of goods and freight.

Also calledImport-export clerkShipping agentFreight forwarderImport-export agentCargo agentTraffic controllerand 97 more titles
Typical full-time pay£33,5002025 Provisional
People in the job70,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,800↑ 2.9%on last year · 106th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time transport and distribution clerks and assistants earn between £28,000 and £39,500 a year.

What full-time transport and distribution clerks and assistants earn, 2025
£33,500 typical£24,000lowest 10%£28,00025%£42,200top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£28,000–£39,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£24,000
Lowest 20% earn less than£26,500
25%£28,000
Median£33,500
75%£39,500
Top 20% earn more than£42,200
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £33,500
Wales!£36,900
South East£35,800
West Midlands£35,200
East of England£35,000
South West!£34,700
London£34,500
Scotland!£31,500
North West!£30,600
East Midlands!£30,400
North East!£24,400
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £33,500
Wales£36,900 (small sample)
South East£35,800
West Midlands£35,200
East of England£35,000
South West£34,700 (small sample)
London£34,500
Scotland£31,500 (small sample)
North West£30,600 (small sample)
East Midlands£30,400 (small sample)
North East£24,400 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £29,300
  • 2024 £30,900
  • 2025 Provisional£33,500
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,800 jobs for transport and distribution clerks and assistants are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,943
Jul 20262,230
Jun 20262,059
May 20261,953
Apr 20261,729
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,543
Jan 20261,756
Dec 2025900
Nov 20251,787
Oct 20251,871
Sept 20251,829
Aug 20251,902
Jul 20252,099
Jun 20251,887
May 20252,101
Apr 20251,677
Mar 20251,832
Feb 20251,812
Jan 20251,687
Dec 2024948
Nov 20241,379
Oct 20241,665
Sept 20241,894
Aug 20241,784
Jul 20242,036
Jun 20241,976
May 20242,087
Apr 20242,031
Mar 20241,711
Feb 20241,719
Jan 20242,119
Dec 20231,490
Nov 20231,642
Oct 20231,626
Sept 20231,599
Aug 20231,949
Jul 20231,875
Jun 20232,822
May 20232,566
Apr 20232,164
Mar 20232,716
Feb 20232,601
Jan 20232,796
Dec 20222,491
Nov 20223,191
Oct 20223,515
Sept 20223,444
Aug 20223,669
Jul 20223,736
Jun 20223,491
May 20223,781
Apr 20223,016
Mar 20223,671
Feb 20223,535
Jan 20223,764
Dec 20212,817
Nov 20213,160
Oct 20213,341
Sept 20213,126
Aug 20212,946
Jul 20213,252
Jun 20212,880
May 20212,679
Apr 20212,358
Mar 20213,643
Feb 20211,956
Jan 20211,811
Dec 20201,511
Nov 20201,657
Oct 20201,718
Sept 20201,454
Aug 20201,077
Jul 20201,267
Jun 20201,048
May 2020754
Apr 2020974
Mar 20201,697
Feb 20202,280
Jan 20202,164
Dec 20191,464
Nov 20191,971
Oct 20192,219
Sept 20192,065
Aug 20192,157
Jul 20192,444
Jun 20192,345
May 20192,333
Apr 20191,817
Mar 20192,150
Feb 20191,946
Jan 20192,417
Dec 20181,483
Nov 20182,033
Oct 20182,362
Sept 20182,335
Aug 20182,662
Jul 20182,482
Jun 20182,531
May 20182,325
Apr 20181,960
Mar 20182,074
Feb 20181,849
Jan 20182,282
Dec 20171,345
Nov 20171,969
Oct 20171,907
Sept 20172,143
Aug 20172,133
Jul 20172,146
Jun 20172,817
May 20172,700
Apr 20172,468
Mar 20172,957
Feb 20172,467
Jan 20172,622
Is there a shortage of transport and distribution clerks and assistants?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
10%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for administrative occupations: records, which includes transport and distribution clerks and assistants. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London751
Manchester111
Birmingham99
Leeds87
Bristol, City of82
West Northamptonshire62
Slough60
North Northamptonshire50
Glasgow City49
Somerset49
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where transport and distribution clerks and assistants are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 18 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Italy, Pakistan, ranking it 187th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of transport and distribution clerks and assistants
n/p
23%!
22%!
21%!
18%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3423% (small sample)
35–4422% (small sample)
45–5421% (small sample)
55–6418% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent23%
Higher education below degree!12%
A levels or equivalent34%
GCSEs or equivalent20%
Other qualifications!6.1%
No qualifications!4.9%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent23%
Higher education below degree12% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent34%
GCSEs or equivalent20%
Other qualifications6.1% (small sample)
No qualifications4.9% (small sample)

Main employers: freight transport by road (10%), other transportation support activities (7.3%), urban and suburban passenger land transport (6%), other postal and courier activities (4.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
23%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 34%
Registration
Department for Transport
required for some roles: Department for Transport
Apprenticeships
5
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 to 2½ years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a degree before applying to join a freight company's management training scheme.

Employers accept most subjects but you may have an advantage if you study:

  • transport and distribution management
  • logistics and supply chain management
  • business and management
  • business studies with a foreign language

Choosing a degree with an industry placement or a summer internship could help you to get relevant skills and might be useful when you apply for jobs.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an International Freight Forwarding Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

This can take up to 2 years to complete and combines on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as an administrator in a freight forwarding or logistics department and work your way up through training and promotion.

You'll find it useful to have office experience and good computer skills.

You're likely to need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths. Some employers might want you to have A levels or a higher education qualification.

Other routes

You could do a training course through an industry body, such as The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade.

Courses start from introductory level onwards, so you can choose what to do based on your knowledge and experience.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You may have an advantage in some jobs, if you can speak a second language, especially if you want to work for a company that operates internationally.

Further information

You can find out more about working in logistics and transport from Generation Logistics.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for import-export clerk. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

5 for this job
Level 3About 1 year

Transport and warehouse operations supervisor

You gain
Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence; Ministry of Defence: Junior Transport Operator L3
Registration
Department for Transport
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • processes customer orders and forwards requisition documentation to storage and distribution personnel
  • formulates delivery loads, vehicle schedules and routes to be followed by delivery staff
  • monitors tachograph readings and maintains records of hours worked and distance travelled by drivers
  • obtains customs clearance and processes import and export documentation necessary for the movement of goods between countries
  • maintains records regarding the movement and location of freight, containers and staff

Skills

  • have computer literacy
  • use different communication channels
  • act reliably
  • apply company policies
  • communicate verbal instructions
  • ensure public safety and security
  • give instructions to staff
  • manage staff
  • supervise loading of cargo
  • supervise unloading of cargo
  • analyse route possibilities in pipeline projects
  • apply transportation management concepts
  • coordinate the itineraries of vessels
  • ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures

Knowledge

  • match vessels to shipping routes
  • types of maritime vessels
  • health and safety measures in transportation
  • International Maritime Organisation conventions
  • maritime telecommunications
  • pipeline transport regulations;
  • principles of cargo stowage
  • road transport legislation

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for administrative occupations, a group of 20 jobs that includes transport and distribution clerks and assistants.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 12%about 381,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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