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Purchasing and Inventory Clerks  (NOC 1474)
Southern Region
Description |  Titles |  Duties |   Related Occupations

Purchasing and inventory clerks process purchasing transactions and maintain inventories of materials, equipment and stock. They are employed by retail and wholesale establishments, manufacturing companies, government agencies and other establishments.

inventory analyst, inventory clerk, inventory control clerk, inventory planner, procurement clerk, purchasing clerk, purchasing clerk assistant.

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Purchasing clerks perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Review requisition orders for accuracy and verify that materials, equipment and stock are not available from current inventories
  • Source and obtain price quotations from catalogues and suppliers and prepare purchase orders
  • Calculate cost of orders and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts
  • Process purchases within purchasing authority
  • Contact suppliers to schedule deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed deliveries and other problems
  • Prepare and maintain purchasing files, reports and price lists.
Inventory clerks perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Monitor inventory levels as materials, equipment and stock are issued, transferred within an establishment or sold to the public using manual or computerized inventory systems
  • Compile inventory reports, recording the quantity, type and value of materials, equipment and stock on hand, using manual or computerized inventory systems
  • Prepare requisition orders to replenish materials, equipment and stock
  • Maintain stock rotation and dispose of and account for outdated stock
  • Enter data for production scheduling, stock replenishment/relocation and inventory adjustments
  • Reconcile physical inventories with computer counts.
Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

Bridgewater, Digby, Lunenburg, Shelburne, Yarmouth

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View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Purchasing and Inventory Clerks in Southern Region

The future forecast and current conditions for an occupation can vary based on location or due to changes in the economy, technology, or demand for a product or service.

Local Employment Potential Information

Table on the employment potential for Purchasing and Inventory Clerks in Southern Region as well as in the rest of the Nova Scotia.
Location Employment Potential Release Date
Southern Region Fair 2011-10-06

Currently the chances of qualified Purchasing and Inventory Clerks finding employment are considered to be fair in the local area. Employment potential is fair locally because although there are occasional advertised opportunities and demand due to turnover, a supply of qualified labour exists to meet local demand. Having computer skills increases workers opportunities as more companies use computerized inventory systems. The public sector continues to move towards a more centralized regional purchasing system further limiting local opportunity. Although some larger firms may employ inventory analysts, most vacancies are for basic inventory clerks, which are entry level positions. Many of the duties of purchasing and inventory clerks may be combined with similar occupations such as Shipper/Receivers or Parts Clerks among some employers.

In addition to employment opportunities locally, opportunities may exist in other areas of the province or in other regions of the country. People who are able to work elsewhere may want to research opportunities for this occupation in other labour markets within Nova Scotia and across the country. The future employment outlook for Purchasing and Inventory Clerks in Nova Scotia is expected to be fair over the next 5 years.

Additional information on Purchasing and Inventory Clerks (opportunities in other areas, training, who hires, current job openings, statistics and other information), is available on other parts of this web site.

[ Source: Labour Market Information - HRSDC ]

Local Labour Market News

Week of Apr 29 – May 03, 2013

Week of Apr 22 – Apr 26, 2013

Week of Apr 15 – Apr 19, 2013

Week of Apr 08 – Apr 12, 2013

[ Source: Labour Market Information - HRSDC ]
Please consult the Nova Scotia and Canada tabs for more useful information related to outlook.