Letter carriers
High opportunity occupation
Career Overview
Letter carriers pick up, sort and deliver mail, parcels, packages and flyers. They also record delivery of registered mail and collect money for cash-on-delivery parcels. Letter carriers work for the Canada Post Corporation.
Job Titles
Duties
Letter carriers:
- Organize mail by address and load into mailbags or containers
- Deliver and collect letters, small packages, large parcels as well as other printed material along mapped out routes
- Deliver flyers to businesses and residences
- Deliver express mail and special delivery letters and packages
- Collect signatures and payment for cash-on-delivery service
- Record delivery of registered mail
- Leave notices that items could not be delivered and the location where they can be picked up
- Return undeliverable mail to postal station
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
4,490% Employed Full Time
76%Letter carriers do much of their work outside and experience different weather conditions/seasons. They must walk for most of their shift. Some letter carriers operate a postal truck – as large as a five-ton vehicle – and sometimes deal with busy traffic conditions. Letter carriers that drive vehicles still need to walk to make their deliveries. Rural positions may mean that they need to use their own vehicle to deliver and collect mail. When a letter carrier uses their own vehicle, they must meet Canada Post's vehicle requirements and insurance costs may also be covered by Canada Post.
Along with handling heavy mail bags and parcels – which can weigh up to 23 kg – people in this job need to carry mail bags loaded with mail, from door to door. These bags can weigh close to 16 kg each.
Letter carriers typically work Monday through Friday, though the hours can vary depending on their route. Some letter carriers work weekends. Some do “shuttle runs” between post office locations and some collect mail from mailboxes.
Some health and safety challenges for letter carriers include dealing with dogs that might bite. Letter carriers are trained to protect themselves against aggressive dogs and, if requested, may carry pepper spray. Workers also have the right to refuse delivery if they feel unsafe.
Letter carriers can suffer common types of injuries from slips and falls on mossy, icy or poorly maintained steps/sidewalks.
Career Pathways
Many letter carriers start out as temporary or on-call workers, and eventually move into permanent full-time positions.
Progression to supervisory positions is possible with additional training or experience. Canada Post offers training to some letter carriers so they can move up to supervisor or management positions. Corporate positions at Canada Post are in high demand and there is a great deal of competition for these positions.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
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For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Letter carriers are usually required to have a high school diploma or equivalent, though a college education may be preferred. Other education, training and qualifications may include:
- Completion of a written and physical exam
- Classroom and on-the-job training
- Fluency in both spoken and written English
- Experience handling cash transactions
- Valid driver’s licence, driver’s abstract for the previous two years, and security screening must be passed and provided to Canada Post every two years (Canada Post pays for the abstract)
- Working with the public, making deliveries, picking up mail and maintaining records/reports
- Two weeks to one month of training is provided by Canada Post Corporation
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Academic/Basic Upgrading
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
4,490Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 165 | 3.7% |
| Kootenay | 90 | 2.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,735 | 60.9% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 95 | 2.1% |
| Northeast | 60 | 1.3% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 555 | 12.4% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 790 | 17.6% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
1,960Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 40 | -0.6% |
| Kootenay | 20 | -1.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 1,330 | 1.6% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 80 | 3.7% |
| Northeast | 40 | 5.2% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 190 | 1.3% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 270 | 1.1% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1,950 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 10 |
| Utilities | 10 |
Insights from Industry
Advances in technology mean that some of the work in the postal industry is being automated. In general, people use email, social media and other electronic forms of communication instead of mailing letters. However, there is an increase in flyers and other materials being sent. Also, online shopping continues to increase, which means there are more parcels of all sizes and weights to be delivered.
Resources
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Canada Postwww.canadapost.ca/
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Canada Post Corporation – Jobsjobs.canadapost.ca/