Office and administrative support
Procurement clerk
Compile information and records to draw up purchase orders for procurement of materials and services.
Median pay
$50,580
Growth to 2035
−8%
declining
Openings a year
3,700
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Procurement clerk
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Procurement clerk: 34% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
- Perform buying duties when necessary.
- Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.
- Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts.
- Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.
- Approve and pay bills.
- Maintain knowledge of all organizational and governmental rules affecting purchases, and provide information about these rules to organization staff members and to vendors.
- Determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary.
Also called: Buyer · Procurement Assistant · Procurement Officer · Procurement Specialist · Purchasing Assistant · Purchasing Associate · Purchasing Clerk · Purchasing Coordinator
Outlook and AI
Procurement clerks held 56,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 52,300 by 2035 (−8%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as procurement processes are increasingly automated, reducing the need for these workers.
Compare with
- Procurement clerk vs. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Procurement clerk vs. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Procurement clerk vs. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Procurement clerk vs. Stockers and order fillers
- Procurement clerk vs. Order clerk
- Procurement clerk vs. Customer service representative
- Procurement clerk vs. Billing and posting clerks
- Procurement clerk vs. Counter and rental clerks
- Procurement clerk vs. Office clerks, general