Is there a difference between a warehouse specialist and a warehouse clerk?

What do warehouse specialists and warehouse clerks actually do and is there a difference? As the name suggests, a warehouse clerk works in a warehouse and carries out the tasks and activities that arise here. This includes, for example, receiving goods, checking goods, stock control, preparing goods for dispatch and systematically storing and tidying goods. A warehouse specialist has almost exactly the same tasks as a warehouse clerk, which is why there is no difference between the two in spoken language. However, warehouse clerk is a trade apprenticeship for which you have to go to school, while warehouse clerk can also be a temporary, mini or part-time job for someone without training. Below, we take a closer look at how the tasks of the two professions differ.

How much does a trained warehouse clerk or warehouse worker earn in wages or salary?

The difference in training between the two is also reflected in the payroll, as a trained warehouse specialist usually receives a slightly higher salary than a warehouse clerk or simple warehouse worker without training. In addition, the wage level also depends on the sector and position, i.e. the position in the company in which a warehouse clerk works. Therefore, ordinary warehouse workers earn the least, with an average of €33,645 per year (as a full-time employee, according to gehalt.de), while a warehouse manager, who has the highest position in the warehouse, earns the most, with an average of around €39,700 per year. In the chemical industry , however, warehouse specialists can also earn an average of €43,150 per year, as they usually work for large companies that can pay higher salaries due to their high turnover (salary data according to Stepstone 2024). 

Additional qualifications, such as obtaining a forklift license (forklift driver's license), will also significantly increase your salary as a warehouse operator or warehouse specialist . You can find exact values and further information on the salary as a forklift driver in our article.

In general, a career in warehousing or logistics can earn you a very good wage and is one of the best-paid professions in the skilled trades .

We will now explain in more detail what exactly distinguishes the warehouse specialist from the ordinary warehouse clerk.

This is what the profession of warehouse specialist is really like 

 Unfortunately, you can start working as a warehouse specialist overnight - a warehouse specialist is an industrial apprenticeship in which you complete a two-year, usually dual, apprenticeship. A secondary school leaving certificate is often required for this. If you pass your final exam at the end of your training, you can finally call yourself a warehouse specialist! You can complete an additional year of training to become a warehouse logistics specialist, which will also allow you to take on commercial and organizational tasks, such as liaising with suppliers (there are also separate training courses for this, without the detour as a warehouse specialist). After that, you are free to work your way up to team leader, obtain your master craftsman's certificate or become a logistics manager by studying logistics. As you can see, there are a whole host of career opportunities for warehouse specialists!

If you have already done something different before and now want to change to warehouse clerk, you can also shorten your training by retraining as a warehouse clerk as a career changer. The costs for this retraining are sometimes also covered by the employment agency, as a warehouse clerk is a very secure job that is always in demand and needed in a wide variety of industries! This is precisely why it is so popular with career changers. For the same reason, the place of work of a warehouse clerk can also be very diverse and can be in retail, in the automotive sector, in logistics as a driver and in a wide variety of industries. As a warehouse specialist, you can therefore choose which industry you would prefer to work in!

Your tasks as a (trained) warehouse specialist

These tasks can be assigned to a trained warehouse specialist:

• Prepare and compile shipments
• Entering or booking out products in a stock management system on the computer
• Check delivery documents and compare with order
•  Store goods professionally and systematically
• Packing goods correctly
• Operation of packaging machines if necessary
• Issue and receipt of goods
• Fill out storage documents
• Carrying out inventories and stock checks
• Document transactions, keep accounts
• Transporting and moving goods with a forklift truck (forklift driver's license required)
• Carry out complaints if necessary
• Know about and observe legal safety regulations, environmental protection guidelines or customs regulations
• Labeling and marking shipments and shipping documents
• Loading and securing goods for transportation in trucks or containers
• Reorder and schedule packaging material

‍Andwhat does a warehouse clerk do without training? 

If you don't feel like going back to school and would rather start your career straight away or perhaps just need a temporary or part-time job, a job as a warehouse clerk is just right for you. This is because awarehouse assistant without training, often also called a warehouse helper, has similar tasks to a warehouse specialist. However, as they have less theoretical and practical knowledge, they only do a small amount of the simpler, physical warehouse work. These tasks can usually be carried out without any special previous knowledge, which is why there are always vacancies for the sought-after warehouse assistants that are open to applications without experience. The office work is usually done by the warehouse specialist. As a result, the warehouse clerk as a temp or mini-job has less responsibility than their trained colleague, but their salary as a helper is usually also lower.

The main tasks of warehouse assistants or warehouse helpers without training are:

• Issue and receipt of goods
• Goods inspection
• Store goods professionally and systematically
• Assemble goods and prepare them for dispatch
• Store goods properly
• Packing goods correctly
• Sending goods

As you can see, these are far fewer tasks than those of a warehouse specialist. We have compiled more information and a longer list of tasks that warehouse assistants do not perform as their main duties here: All the tasks of a warehouse assistant.

FAQ

 Warehouse clerk - what is it and what about the duration of training?

A warehouse clerk works in the warehouse of various industries. They take care of receiving, checking, storing, packing and shipping goods and always keep track of stock levels, which they check regularly. A warehouse clerk doesn't have to be a warehouse clerk worksin warehouses in various industries. They take care of receiving, checking, storing, packing and shipping goods and always keep track of the stock, which they check regularly. A warehouse clerk does not necessarily have to do an apprenticeship or have a school-leaving certificate, but training as a warehouse specialist gives them the opportunity to continue their education and work their way up. The training period to become a warehouse specialist is only two years.It is not essential for a warehouse specialist to do an apprenticeship or have a school-leaving certificate, but training as a warehouse specialist gives them the opportunity to continue their education and work their way up. The training period to become a warehouse specialist is only two years.

What requirements should a warehouse clerk have?

You don't necessarily need a school-leaving qualification for a job as a warehouse clerk. What is important, however, is a structured way of working, organizational talent, physical resilience, reliability and diligence as well as independence and the ability to work in a team.