In a manufacturing, industrial-engineering, or operations function, you handle the clerical work behind time studies — supporting industrial engineers who measure work times, capturing data, processing time-study results, and the administrative work behind workforce-productivity analysis.
Days are a mix of field observation support, data capture, and the steady documentation work that time studies involve — supporting industrial engineers in the field with stopwatch and form work, capturing observation data, processing data into spreadsheets or productivity systems, supporting the analytical work that follows raw data collection. Data-collection accuracy and study-completion turnaround shape the visible measures.
The friction often lies in the worker-relations dimension — time studies are sometimes received uncomfortably by workers who feel observed, and clerks navigate that dynamic alongside the data collection. Variance across employers is real: manufacturing operations with mature industrial-engineering teams run formal time-study programs; smaller operations run informal studies or hire consultants; warehousing and fulfillment operations often run time studies tied to productivity standards.
This role tends to fit folks who carry steady detail orientation, comfort with structured observation work, and patient interaction with field workers. Industrial-engineering coursework and growing exposure to time-study methodology anchor advancement. The trade-off is modest pay at the clerk rung balanced by clear progression into industrial-engineering technician or analyst roles for those who learn the broader function.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →In a manufacturing, industrial-engineering, or operations function, you handle the clerical work behind time studies — supporting industrial engineers who measure work times, capturing data, processing time-study results, and the administrative work behind workforce-productivity analysis.
Median pay for a Time Study Clerk is about $49K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $36K to $67K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, and Social Perceptiveness.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 7.1% through 2034, with roughly 92,580 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include HR Ops Manager (Human Resources Operations Manager), Identification Clerk, and Recruiting Coordinator.
Turn your career record
into a springboard for growth.