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Boston Career Explorer

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.

Also called: Administrative Clerk (Admin Clerk), Clerical Aide, Clerical Assistant, Clerk, General Clerk, Office Assistant

Median pay in Greater Boston
$50,710
$24.38/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
34,480
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−6.4%
5,360 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$36,030$43,710$50,710$60,830$71,770

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure74 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 71
  • Language-model AIOE 72
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 80

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is higher for this job, and observed AI use is substantial. AI tools can help with filing, record updates, document handling, and routine office machine tasks. Federal projections expect fewer of these jobs as technology automates some clerical work. Talking with customers and coworkers and handling varied requests still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Filing and updating records
  • Sorting and compiling office documents

Still relies on people

  • Answering questions and handling complaints
  • Handling varied, unusual office requests

What federal projections say

“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.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

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