jobfacts

Typists and related keyboard occupations

SOC 2020 4217

Typists and related keyboard occupations type letters, memos, reports and other documents from draft, handwritten or dictated matter, using appropriate software packages.

Also calledTranscriberTypistSecretarial clerkCourt reporterDictaphone operatorStenographerand 18 more titles
Typical full-time pay£27,2002025 Provisional
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month78↓ 10%on last year · 396th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time typists and related keyboard occupations earn, 2025
£27,200 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£27,200
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £27,200
Scotland!£26,900
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £27,200
Scotland£26,900 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £23,800
  • 2024 £25,500
  • 2025 Provisional£27,200
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 78 jobs for typists and related keyboard occupations are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 202676
Jul 202668
Jun 2026126
May 2026112
Apr 202688
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202648
Jan 202663
Dec 202533
Nov 202571
Oct 202585
Sept 202583
Aug 202567
Jul 202569
Jun 202586
May 2025107
Apr 202571
Mar 202593
Feb 202590
Jan 202598
Dec 2024101
Nov 202475
Oct 202496
Sept 202488
Aug 2024119
Jul 2024121
Jun 202489
May 2024114
Apr 2024113
Mar 2024143
Feb 2024291
Jan 2024354
Dec 2023237
Nov 2023320
Oct 2023408
Sept 2023330
Aug 2023356
Jul 2023259
Jun 2023153
May 2023159
Apr 2023114
Mar 2023116
Feb 2023144
Jan 2023168
Dec 2022125
Nov 2022155
Oct 2022229
Sept 2022220
Aug 2022196
Jul 2022218
Jun 2022241
May 2022235
Apr 2022188
Mar 2022211
Feb 2022183
Jan 2022214
Dec 2021160
Nov 2021194
Oct 2021186
Sept 2021180
Aug 2021202
Jul 2021187
Jun 2021187
May 2021138
Apr 2021116
Mar 2021191
Feb 2021114
Jan 2021120
Dec 202096
Nov 2020105
Oct 2020109
Sept 202096
Aug 202081
Jul 202062
Jun 202060
May 202057
Apr 202086
Mar 2020174
Feb 2020226
Jan 2020203
Dec 2019161
Nov 2019191
Oct 2019209
Sept 2019165
Aug 2019204
Jul 2019282
Jun 2019277
May 2019264
Apr 2019194
Mar 2019249
Feb 2019185
Jan 2019202
Dec 2018133
Nov 2018234
Oct 2018214
Sept 2018219
Aug 2018259
Jul 2018218
Jun 2018279
May 2018235
Apr 2018233
Mar 2018269
Feb 2018259
Jan 2018256
Dec 2017163
Nov 2017225
Oct 2017216
Sept 2017231
Aug 2017268
Jul 2017251
Jun 2017412
May 2017326
Apr 2017262
Mar 2017279
Feb 2017316
Jan 2017482
Is there a shortage of typists and related keyboard occupations?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
14%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for secretarial and related occupations, which includes typists and related keyboard occupations. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London42
Glasgow City7
West Northamptonshire6
Birmingham5
Manchester5
Chelmsford5
City of Edinburgh5
Sheffield5
Somerset5
Buckinghamshire5
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where typists and related keyboard occupations are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of typists and related keyboard occupations
79%!
n/p
n/p
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
35–4479% (small sample)
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!73%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent–
Not published
GCSEs or equivalent!24%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent73% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalentNot published
GCSEs or equivalent24% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

How to get in

Hold a degree
73%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • types letters, memos, reports, presentations and other documents using the appropriate software
  • inserts logos and other special features and formats as specified
  • proof reads, edits and corrects errors to produce clean copy to specified layout
  • adjusts settings of printer as necessary and monitors quality of printed document

Skills

  • align content with form
  • apply grammar and spelling rules
  • decode handwritten texts
  • draft corporate emails
  • pose questions referring to documents
  • provide written content
  • type error-free documents
  • use dictionaries
  • use free typing techniques
  • use microsoft office
  • compile content
  • digitise documents
  • ensure proper document management
  • integrate content into output media

Knowledge

  • company policies
  • transcription methods
  • audio technology
  • content development processes
  • stenography

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for secretarial and related occupations, a group of 7 jobs that includes typists and related keyboard occupations.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 16%about 105,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035243,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.