Office and Administrative Support · Holland code CA

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

Read transcript or proof type setup to detect and mark for correction any grammatical, typographical, or compositional errors. Excludes workers whose primary duty is editing copy. Includes proofreaders of braille.

Also called: Copy Editor, News Copy Editor, Proofreader, Typesetter, Copyholder, Editorial Assistant, Proofer.

O*NET 43-9081.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $51,120; Middle half earn $41,170 to $62,390. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 47% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Mark copy to indicate and correct errors in type, arrangement, grammar, punctuation, or spelling, using standard printers' marks.
Read corrected copies or proofs to ensure that all corrections have been made.
Correct or record omissions, errors, or inconsistencies found.
Compare information or figures on one record against same data on other records, or with original copy, to detect errors.
Route proofs with marked corrections to authors, editors, typists, or typesetters for correction or reprinting.
Consult reference books or secure aid of readers to check references with rules of grammar and composition.
Typeset and measure dimensions, spacing, and positioning of page elements, such as copy and illustrations, to verify conformance to specifications, using printer's ruler or layout software.
Consult with authors and editors regarding manuscript changes and suggestions.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.3 / 5
Writing3.6 / 5
Speaking3.3 / 5
Active Listening3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Monitoring2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language5.0 / 5
Communications and Media3.4 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.0 / 5
Administrative2.6 / 5
Administration and Management2.4 / 5
Customer and Personal Service2.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic7
Investigative25
Artistic43
Social20
Enterprising9
Conventional86

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

book publisher · DE Buchverleger/Buchverlegerin · FR éditeur/éditrice
desktop publisher · DE Desktop-Publisher · FR maquettiste
book editor · DE Buchredakteur/Buchredakteurin · FR directeur de collection/directrice de collection
copy editor · DE Lektor/Lektorin · FR réviseur/réviseuse
lexicographer · DE Lexikograf/Lexikografin · FR lexicographe
editorial assistant · DE Redaktionsassistent/Redaktionsassistentin · FR secrétaire d’édition

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services (1163)8,000 employed
Newspaper, periodical and broadcast editors (2491)43,100 employed
Newspaper and periodical broadcast journalists and reporters (2492)45,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Clerical support workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Clerical support workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,035
Austria	€38,296
Germany	€37,844
Netherlands	€35,854
Sweden	€33,483
Ireland	€32,144
Italy	€29,311
France	€25,943
Spain	€22,026
Portugal	€12,602
Poland	€10,250

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.29. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (43-9081).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test