Office and Administrative Support · Holland code CR

Word Processors and Typists

Use word processor, computer, or typewriter to type letters, reports, forms, or other material from rough draft, corrected copy, or voice recording. May perform other clerical duties as assigned.

Also called: Clerk Typist, Keyboard Specialist, Typist, Word Processor, Clerk Specialist, Stenographer, Word Processing Operator, Word Processing Specialist.

O*NET 43-9022.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $49,280; Middle half earn $40,800 to $57,670. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some 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.

File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and delete documents.
Transmit work electronically to other locations.
Compute and verify totals on report forms, requisitions, or bills, using adding machine or calculator.
Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes.
Electronically sort and compile text and numerical data, retrieving, updating, and merging documents as required.
Check completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format.
Print and make copies of work.
Search for specific sets of stored, typed characters to make changes.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
Active Listening3.4 / 5
Writing3.3 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.6 / 5
Administrative4.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Law and Government3.4 / 5
Administration and Management3.1 / 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.

Realistic31
Investigative16
Artistic21
Social21
Enterprising14
Conventional93

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)

lexicographer · DE Lexikograf/Lexikografin · FR lexicographe
translator · DE Übersetzer/Übersetzerin · FR traducteur/traductrice
court reporter · DE Gerichtsstenograf/Gerichtsstenografin · FR greffier/greffière
medical transcriptionist · DE medizinische Schreibkraft · FR audiotypiste médical/audiotypiste médicale
secretary · DE Sekretär/Sekretärin · FR secrétaire
typist · DE Textypist/Textypistin · FR dactylographe

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Health care practice managers (1231)27,200 employed
Personal assistants and other secretaries (4215)133,700 employed
Pre-press technicians (5421)3,700 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 “Professionals”. 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, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

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 middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.62. 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 (43-9022).

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