Clerical and Administrative Workers

Clerical and administrative workers not elsewhere classified perform diverse office support and record-keeping duties across various industries and organisations. They manage correspondence, maintain filing systems, process administrative requests, and provide general secretarial support using standard office software and communication tools. These workers support the administrative functioning of departments or small organisations where a dedicated specialist role is not required.

Process incoming and outgoing correspondence including emails, letters, and facsimiles using office email systems. Maintain physical and digital filing systems organised by client, date, project, or regulatory requirement. Schedule appointments and meetings using calendar management software, confirming attendance and preparing meeting materials. Prepare routine administrative documents including memoranda, notices, forms, and standardised reports using word processing software. Enter and update data into organisational databases and spreadsheet systems ensuring accuracy and consistency. Answer incoming telephone calls and direct callers to appropriate staff members or take messages. Process invoices, purchase orders, and expense claims by verifying details and routing for approval. Maintain office supplies inventory, place orders with suppliers, and track stock levels.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The pay ceiling is real. The work is repetitive, accuracy-focused, and heavily dependent on others following through. Automation may take over some of this work over time. You need to be comfortable with low variety and lots of interruptions from phone calls and walk-ins.

The practical reality is that most clerical jobs concentrate in capital city CBDs and business districts where insurance offices, banks, and corporate head offices operate. Remote work exists but is less common than in other office roles. Regional areas have fewer opportunities.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 5523, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Accounting department processescore
• Actuarial sciencecore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Correspondence Draftingcore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Digital Literacycore
• Email Managementcore
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiencycore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Record Managementcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Accounting techniques
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Electronic Document Management
• Problem Solving
• Quality Assurance and Checking
• Team Collaboration
• Telephone Etiquette
• Workflow Prioritisation
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Clerical and Administrative Workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026