# Technical Writers

> Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.

- **SOC code:** 27-3042.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-3042-00
- **Also known as:** Documentation Specialist, Information Developer, Technical Communicator, Technical Writer, Documentation Designer, Engineering Writer, Medical Writer, Narrative Writer
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
- Maintain records and files of work and revisions.
- Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
- Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.
- Interview production and engineering personnel and read journals and other material to become familiar with product technologies and production methods.
- Develop or maintain online help documentation.
- Assist in laying out material for publication.
- Study drawings, specifications, mockups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production sequence and detail.
- Arrange for typing, duplication, and distribution of material.
- Observe production, developmental, and experimental activities to determine operating procedure and detail.
- Review manufacturer's and trade catalogs, drawings and other data relative to operation, maintenance, and service of equipment.
- Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Writing _(essential_skill)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- Written Expression _(ability)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Administrative _(knowledge)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Word _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Visio _(Specialized Skill)_
- Microsoft SharePoint _(Specialized Skill)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Atlassian Confluence _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Atlassian JIRA _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Extensible markup language XML _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft SharePoint _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Visio _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Creative Cloud software _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 93rd percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 82nd percentile (High) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 84th percentile (High) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 99th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 76th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 0.9% growth (About average); 4.5k annual openings; 56.4k → 56.9k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $91,670; 55,530 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 44% automation, 54% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. _(105.8% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology. _(17.2% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding. _(4.6% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Assist in laying out material for publication. _(1.3% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material. _(0.9% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material. _(0.8% of measured AI use; learning)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
- Help me organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
- Help me review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
- Help me assist in laying out material for publication.
- Help me select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-3042-00_