Stenographers

Audio recording equipment and the use of personal computers by managers and other professionals has greatly reduced the demand for stenographers in office settings. Continued technological advances, such as computer-aided equipment that can print out what is being said by a spoken voice, will limit demand for basic stenographers without specialized skills and training.

Employment for court reporters is expected to grow by 7 percent, faster than the average, through 2028, according to the Department of Labor. The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has affected the court reporting and captioning field, with many cases either delayed or being conducted remotely. Employment of court reporters is expected to pick up once court rooms open fully, sometime later in 2021. There will be also be more job for broadcast captioners, due to new federal regulations that require expanded use of captioning for television, the Internet, and other technologies. Job opportunities will be best in the coming years for computer-aided transcription (CAT) system operators in real-time settings. The trend to provide instantaneous captions for the deaf and hearing-impaired and the growing use of CAT technology in courtroom trials should strengthen the demand for real-time reporters and other specialists.