Clerk

History and etymology

The word clerk is derived from the Latin clericus meaning "cleric" or "clergyman", which is the latinisation of the Greek κληρικός (klērikos) from a word meaning a "lot" (in the sense of drawing lots) and hence an "apportionment" or "area of land".

The association derived from medieval courts, where writing was mainly entrusted to clergy because most laymen could not read. In this context, the word clerk meant "scholar". Even today, the term clerk regular designates a type of cleric (one living life according to a rule). The cognate terms in some languages, notably Klerk in Dutch, became – at the end of the nineteenth century – restricted to a specific, fairly low rank in the administrative hierarchy.

United States

Clerical workers are the largest occupational group in the United States. In 2004, there were 3.1 million general office clerks, 1.5 million office administrative supervisors and 4.1 million secretaries. Clerical occupations often do not require a college degree, though some college education or 1 to 2 years in vocational programs are common qualifications. Familiarity with office equipment and certain software programs is also often required. Employers may provide clerical training. In 2006, the median salary for clerks was $23,000, while the national median income for workers age 25 or older was $33,000. Median salaries ranged from $22,770 for general office clerks to $34,970 for secretaries and $41,030 for administrative supervisors. Clerical workers are considered working class by American sociologists such as William Thompson, Joseph Hickey or James Henslin as they perform highly routinized tasks with relatively little autonomy.{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William |author2=Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus

References

References

1. "Merriam Webster, definition of clerical worker".
2. [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=clerk&searchmode=none, Clerk], Online Etymology Dictionary
3. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2357871 Klerikos], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
4. "US Department of Labor, General office clerks".
5. "US Department of Labor, Secretaries and administrative assistants".
6. "US Department of Labor, training of secretaries".
7. "U.S. Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006".
8. Gilbert, Dennis. (1998). "The American Class Structure". Wadsworth Publishing.