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Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers  (NOC 6622)
Northeast Region
Description |  Titles |  Duties |   Related Occupations

Grocery clerks and store shelf stockers pack customers' purchases, price items, stock shelves with merchandise and fill mail and telephone orders. They are employed in retail establishments, such as grocery, hardware and department stores, and in warehouses.

bag clerk, grocery clerk, grocery packer, order filler – retail, price clerk – retail, produce clerk, shelf stocker – retail, supermarket clerk.

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Grocery clerks and store shelf stockers perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Bag, box or parcel purchases for customers or for shipment or delivery to customers
  • Carry customers' purchases to parking lot and pack in vehicles
  • Unpack products received by store and count, weigh or sort items
  • Use barcode scanning equipment to record incoming stock, verify pricing and maintain computerized stock inventory
  • Price items using stamp or stickers according to price list
  • Attach protective devices to products to protect against shoplifting
  • Stock shelves and display areas and keep stock clean and in order
  • Fill mail orders from warehouse stock
  • Obtain articles for customers from shelf or stockroom
  • Direct customers to location of articles sought
  • May sweep aisles, dust display racks and perform other general cleaning duties
  • May operate cash register and computer for electronic commerce transactions
  • May order stock.
Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

Sudbury, Elliot Lake, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Algo, Blind River, Capreol, Cobalt, Englehart, Espanola, Garson Junction, Haileybury, Hearst, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Kirkland Lake, Mattawa, New Liskeard, Nickel Centre, Parry Sound, Powassan, Temiskaming Shores, Thessalon, Valley East, Blezard Valley, Carol Richard Park, Connaught Hill, Dowling, Elmview, Finntown, Flake, Guilletville, Hanmer, Laurentien, Levack, Lively, McCrea Heights, Naughton, Parkwood, Pinecrest, Porcupine, Pottsville, South Porcupine, Val Caron, Val Therese

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View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers in Northeast 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.

National Outlook – 10-Year Projection (2011-2020)

This section provides labour demand and labour supply projections for this occupation over the 2011-2020 period.

Note: The tables, graphs and middle paragraph shown under this section display updated 2011-2020 projection results. The remaining narrative text (2009-2018 projections) will be updated shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The data in the following table are derived from HRSDC’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS). COPS uses a variety of models to produce a detailed 10-year labour market projection per broad skill level and per occupation at the national level, which focuses on the trends of labour supply and labour demand over the next ten years.

This occupation (Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers) is part of a larger occupational group called Other Sales and Related Occupations (NOC 662).

Table on the demographic profile for your chosen occupation at the national level.
Occupations in this group Service Station Attendants (6621) 
Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers (6622) 
Other Elemental Sales Occupations (6623) 
Employment (non-student) in 2010 165,296
Median Age of workers in 2010 32
Average Retirement Age in 2010 64

Occupation Projection for Canada

Over the 2008-2010 period, this occupation experienced a decrease in employment and an increase in its unemployment rate. The unemployment rate, at nearly 15% in 2010, is much higher than the average for all occupations. The average hourly wage remained low, increasing at the same rate as the average for all occupations. This increase is due more to increases in minimum wage in several provinces rather than to labour market pressure. According to key labour market indicators, the number of job seekers in this occupation was more than sufficient to fill all job openings.

Over the 2011-2020 period, an occupation will be in excess demand (a shortage of workers) if the projected number of job openings is significantly greater than the projected number of job seekers. An occupation will be in excess supply (a surplus of workers) if the projected number of job openings is smaller than the projected number of job seekers. For Other Sales And Related Occupations, over the 2011-2020 period, job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 64,775 and 44,604 job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility) are expected to be available to fill the job openings.

Based on projections and considering the existing labour surplus, it is expected that the number of job seekers in this occupation will continue to exceed the number of job openings over the 2011-2020 period although the labour surplus should decrease. Job openings will result from both retirements and expansion demand. Workers in this occupation are younger and retire later than the average for all occupations so the retirement rate will be lower than for other occupations. Moreover, twice as many jobs will be created during the projection period as in the previous ten years, but employment growth will be scarcely higher than average. School leavers will make up the majority of job seekers in the next decade. The proportion of school leavers in this occupation will be higher than the average for all occupations. Given the generic skills needed for this occupation, several workers will choose to work in this occupation while looking for a job that better matches their career goals. This explains the strongly negative mobility this occupation will face in the next ten years. Therefore, nearly half of new job seekers will replace workers leaving this occupation for other occupations.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.
Table of job opening projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category Openings %
Expansion Demand 26,696 41%
Retirements 28,829 45%
Other Replacement Demand 5,421 8%
Emigration 3,830 6%
Projected Job Openings 64,775 100%
Table of job seeker projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category Seekers %
School Leavers 80,381 180%
Immigration 13,689 31%
Other -49,466 -111%
Projected Job Seekers 44,604 100%
[ Source: Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) ]

In which industry or sector do people in this occupation find jobs in Canada?

This table shows the industry and sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.

This table shows the industry sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.
Industry / Sector %
Retail trade 94.30
Wholesale trade 2.40
[ Source: 2006 Census - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What proportion of people in this occupation work full-time and part-time?

The graph displays the proportion of people in this occupation who worked full-time and part-time in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), 51% of workers in this occupation worked full-time, compared to the average of 81% for all occupations.

[ Source: Labour Force Survey - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What proportion of men and women work in this occupation?

The graph displays the proportion of men and women in this occupation in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), women represented 35% of workers in this occupation, compared to the average of 48% for all occupations.

[ Source: 2006 Census - Statistics Canada / Labour Force Survey - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What percentage of people in this occupation are members of a union?

This occupation (Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers) is part of a larger group called Other Sales and Related Occupations (NOC 662). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), the unionization rate for this group was 28%, while the unionization rate for all occupations was 31%.

[ Source: Labour Force Survey - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]
Please consult the Northeast Region and Ontario tabs for more useful information related to outlook.