Office and administrative support
Office clerks, general
Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring knowledge of office systems and procedures. Clerical duties may be assigned in accordance with the office procedures of individual establishments and may include a combination of answering telephones, bookkeeping, typing or word processing, office machine operation, and filing.
Median pay
$45,010
Growth to 2035
−6%
declining
Openings a year
249,000
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Office clerks, general
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Exposure to disease
Office clerks, general: 15% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers.
- Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages.
- Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints.
- Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.
- Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities.
- Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests.
- Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail.
- Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.
Also called: Administrative Clerk (Admin Clerk) · Clerical Aide · Clerical Assistant · Clerk · General Clerk · Office Assistant · Office Clerk · Office Services Specialist
Outlook and AI
Office clerks, general held 2,600,000 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 2,443,700 by 2035 (−6%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as increased use of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and electronic filing systems, automate some clerical functions and reduce the need for individuals to perform these duties.
Compare with
- Office clerks, general vs. Administrative assistant
- Office clerks, general vs. File clerk
- Office clerks, general vs. Receptionists and information clerks
- Office clerks, general vs. Administrative services manager
- Office clerks, general vs. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants
- Office clerks, general vs. Correspondence clerk
- Office clerks, general vs. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Office clerks, general vs. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Office clerks, general vs. Switchboard operators, including answering service
- Office clerks, general vs. Billing and posting clerks