Records Officer
Records officers keep an organisation's official information in order, registering, classifying and tracking files from creation to disposal.
- Median salary
- $83,300
3.9%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 16,300
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- −0.3%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- High
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Records officers look after an organisation's official information: registering incoming and outgoing documents, filing them under the right classification and tracking them until they are due for archiving or destruction. The role sits one step below records management, which adds policy, system design and oversight of the whole records program. Most of the work is office based in government, health, education and professional services, and much of it happens in an electronic document management system.
How much do records officers earn?
The median full-time salary for a records officer is $83,300 per annum, before tax, up $17,300 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on the classification level and the award or enterprise agreement the position sits under, and public sector schedules tend to be the most structured. Records officers who take on system administration, staff training or compliance reporting usually sit higher in the range, while small-organisation and part-time roles often sit lower.
What does a records officer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Registering incoming and outgoing correspondence in the electronic records system
- Classifying and indexing files against retention and disposal schedules, which set out how long each record is kept
- Tracking files through their lifecycle and flagging ones that are due for archiving or destruction
- Answering retrieval requests from staff, auditors and members of the public
- Correcting misfiled records and following up with staff when documents never reach the register
What skills do records officers need?
Employers look for regulatory compliance, process improvement, backed by Microsoft 365 fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Regulatory compliance
- Process improvement
Software and tools
- Microsoft 365
- SharePoint
- HPE Content Manager (TRIM)
- Objective ECM
- Adobe Acrobat
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Digital literacy
- Customer service
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 16,300 people work as records officers in Australia, and employment is projected to decline 0.3% over the decade to 2035. That's a real decline, worth weighing carefully before training into the role.
How do you become a records officer?
Here's the path most records officers take, step by step.
- 1Start in an administrative role
Many records officers begin in reception, mail or general administration where filing and document handling are part of the job, then take on the records duties as the organisation's system needs someone to own it. This route means you are paid while you learn the organisation's schedules and systems.
- 2Study a certificate or diploma
A Certificate III or IV in business, records and information management, or a diploma in library and information services covers classification, retention schedules and disposal authorities. Certificate study can be done part time while you work, which is how most people in the role qualify.
- 3Get hands-on with the systems employers use
HPE Content Manager (TRIM), Objective ECM and SharePoint appear in most records job ads, and practical experience with one of them is often what separates applicants with similar qualifications. Many TAFE courses include a placement or simulated system work.
- 4Add further study for senior records work
Moving into records management or information governance usually means a diploma or degree in records and information management, with professional recognition through bodies such as the Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia (RIMPA). Employers often support this study for staff already in the role.
Ready to apply as a records officer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a records officer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a records officer move to?
Moving into Records Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $10,300 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Records Manager Records officers bring classification, retention and compliance knowledge to managing records systems, with further study in records management.Known move | +$10,300 | 64% | reskill |
| Office Manager Records officers bring information governance and administrative coordination skills to office management, needing further study in team and office leadership.Known move | +$6,700 | 26% | reskill |
| Accounts Officer Records officers bring accuracy and compliance skills to accounts work, needing further training in financial procedures and accounting software.Known move | −$8,300 | 27% | reskill |
| Administration Officer Records officers bring filing, record accuracy and compliance knowledge to broader administrative duties, with additional training in office procedures.Known move | −$25,100 | 19% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a records officer?
The typical records officer is 43 years old; 71% are women, 53% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 43
- Median age
- 71%
- Female share
- 53%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a records officer?
The work has a steady rhythm: a stream of registration and retrieval requests through the day, with quieter stretches spent working through backlogs or tidying metadata. Pressure comes in bursts, usually when an audit, a freedom of information request or a system migration lands, or when someone else's filing has to be untangled. It suits someone who likes order, does not mind repetition and gets satisfaction from knowing where everything is.
What people like
- The rules give clear answers. Retention schedules and disposal authorities spell out how long a record is kept and what happens to it, so most decisions have a defensible answer you can point to when someone questions them.
- Regular hours in a stable setting. Records work is office based with predictable hours, and government, health, education and professional services all employ records officers, so the role exists wherever large volumes of information are kept.
- You see how the whole organisation works. Records cross every team, so you learn who does what and often become the person others ask when they cannot find something.
- Fixing a system is satisfying. Cleaning up a legacy collection, standardising file names or automating a step gives you a visible result to show for the effort.
What people find hard
- The volume of routine registration. Large mail rooms and shared inboxes can mean hours of the same data entry, and the register still has to be accurate on a busy day.
- You are often the one saying no. Retention rules and access restrictions mean turning down requests or telling people a file cannot be released yet, which is not always well received.
- Inherited backlogs. Paper archives, duplicate files and years of inconsistent naming usually land with whoever holds the records role, and clearing them competes with the daily work.
- Systems change under you. A migration to a new platform or a reclassification project can upend familiar processes and take months to settle.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ records officers?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of records officers, followed by Public Administration and Safety.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
- 2Public Administration and Safety
- 3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 37.5% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 19.7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 16.3% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13.3% | |
| Postgraduate | 7.8% |
Will AI replace records officers?
Records work is heavily exposed to AI, because the core tasks are reading, sorting, labelling and finding documents, which is what document management systems now do automatically. Platforms such as SharePoint, Objective ECM and HPE Content Manager can suggest a file title, classification and retention class from the content of the document itself, and search has largely replaced manual finding. What remains with people is the exceptions, the access and disposal decisions, and the inherited paper collections that no system can interpret on its own.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Registering and classifying incoming documentsAuto-classification now proposes a file title and retention class as soon as a document is saved, but someone still checks the suggestion and corrects the unusual ones.35%high
- Applying retention and disposal schedulesSystems can calculate when a file falls due for destruction, though working out whether an exception, a legal hold or a court matter applies still takes a person reading the schedule.25%high
- Answering retrieval and access requestsSearch does the finding, but checking who is entitled to see a record and removing sensitive material before release stays manual.20%moderate
- Managing the records system itselfSetting access permissions, agreeing metadata standards, training staff and cleaning up legacy data are still judgement calls about how this organisation works.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a records officer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do records officers earn?
Median pay is $83,300 per year before tax for full-time records officers in Australia. It is a median, so half of full-time records officers earn more and half earn less, and the classification level under the relevant award or enterprise agreement moves pay more than anything else.
How do you become a records officer?
Most people enter through an administrative role and pick up records duties, then add a Certificate III or IV in business or records management while working. Experience with a document management system such as HPE Content Manager or Objective ECM counts for as much as the qualification in many job ads.
Are records officers in demand?
Records officers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to decline 0.3% over the decade to 2035. In a workforce of about 16,300 people that means most openings come from replacing those who leave or retire rather than from new positions being created.
Will AI replace records officers?
The routine end of the job is already being automated, because document management systems can read a file and suggest its classification, retention class and disposal date. What still needs a person is the exceptions, the access decisions and the messy collections no system can sort on its own, so the work is shifting toward checking, fixing and governing the system rather than disappearing.
What can records officers move into?
Records manager is the usual step up, with further study in records management; records managers earn $10,300 more and the two roles share about 64% of their skills. Office manager is a sideways move for people who enjoy coordination, and the pay difference is $6,700 more.
What is the difference between a records officer and a records manager?
Records officers handle the day-to-day register, classification and retrieval of files, while records managers set the policy, own the system and report on compliance across the organisation. The step up usually comes with further study in records and information management.
Related roles
- Records Manager
- Accounts Officer
- Administration Officer
- Office Manager
- Administration Officer
- Accounts Officer
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