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Typists and Word Processors

Outlook

The employment outlook is not bright for word processors and typists. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts a steep decline in employment (36 percent) in this field through 2029. A major cause of the drop in employment is the growth of automation of offices and increased outsourcing of word-processing jobs. In addition, the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has resulted in budget cuts, layoffs, and business closures in the U.S. and around the world. In general, technological innovations such as scanners, voice-recognition software, and electronic data transmission are being used in more workplaces, reducing the need for typists and word processors. Many office workers now do their own word processing because word processing and data entry software has become so user-friendly. 

More companies today are contracting out their data entry and word processing projects to temporary help and staffing services firms. Most openings will be with these types of firms, and jobs will go to workers who have the best technical skills and knowledge of several word processing programs.

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