Typist
Typists turn handwritten drafts, audio recordings and printed documents into accurate, correctly formatted digital files.
- Median salary*
- $57,200
4.4%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 6,100
1.6%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- −14%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- High
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 38/wk
−2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Typists work in law firms, medical practices, government offices and administrative support teams, producing letters, reports, court documents and patient records. The job is narrower than general administration: the output is the typed document itself, checked against the source and set to a required style. Much of the work that remains is specialist, such as legal or medical transcription, where the vocabulary and formatting rules are hardest to automate.
How much do typists earn?
The median full-time salary for a typist is $57,200 per annum, before tax, up $12,100 since 2018.
The setting matters more than the job title: in-house typists in law firms, hospitals and government departments are usually paid under an award or enterprise agreement, with penalty rates for overtime and casual loading for agency shifts. Legal and medical transcription pays above general copy typing because of the vocabulary involved. Freelance transcription is usually paid per line or per audio minute, so earnings depend on how quickly you can work without losing accuracy.
What does a typist 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.
- Typing letters, reports and forms from handwritten or printed drafts
- Transcribing audio recordings, including medical and legal dictation
- Formatting documents to house or client style guides
- Proofreading finished work against the source for spelling, figures and layout
- Filing typed documents into electronic records systems and updating correspondence logs
What skills do typists need?
Employers look for operations management, backed by Microsoft Word fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Operations management
Software and tools
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Docs
- Express Scribe
- Dragon Professional
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- Time and deadline management
- Digital literacy
- Customer service
Is the job growing?
About 6,100 people work as typists in Australia, and employment is projected to decline 14% over the decade to 2035. That's a real decline, worth weighing carefully before training into the role.
How do you become a typist?
Here's the path most typists take, step by step.
- 1Build your typing speed and accuracy
Employers usually test both before hiring, so practise timed passages until you can type quickly without errors rather than fast and sloppy. Free typing tests online give you a rough measure of where you stand.
- 2Take a certificate in business or administration
There is no licence or registration for this work, but a certificate III or IV in business or business administration is the qualification many typists hold, and 38% of the current workforce hold a Bachelor degree. For medical or legal transcription, add a short course in medical terminology or legal studies.
- 3Learn the software employers use
Word and Google Docs are standard, alongside transcription playback tools such as Express Scribe and speech recognition software like Dragon Professional. Familiarity with templates, track changes and file naming conventions matters as much as raw speed.
- 4Get in through an agency or an office role
Temp agencies place typists and transcriptionists, and many people start in an administrative or reception role and pick up document work from there. Agency shifts are paid and give you examples of accurate work completed to deadline.
Ready to apply as a typist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a typist 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 typist move to?
Moving into Personal Assistant typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $38,100 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Assistant Document production and keyboard skills support executive administrative tasks, with substantial training in diary and travel management. | +$38,100 | 40% | reskill |
| Secretary Accurate typing and document formatting carry into secretarial work, with further training in correspondence and diary management. | +$27,400 | 30% | reskill |
| Data Entry Clerk Typing speed and accuracy carry directly into entering and checking records, with extra training in office systems. | +$14,100 | 13% | reskill |
| Receptionist Typing and record keeping support front desk duties, with a short course covering reception and customer service. | +$6,700 | 50% | short course |
| Administration Officer Document preparation and records management carry into broader administrative duties, with further training in office procedures. | +$1,000 | 31% | 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 typist?
The typical typist is 52 years old; 92% are women, 38% work full-time, and full-timers average 38 hours a week.
- 52
- Median age
- 92%
- Female share
- 38%
- Full-time
- −2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a typist?
The work is quiet, largely solo and measured in output. A typist's day is a series of documents with deadlines attached, so the rhythm depends on how work arrives: steady in an in-house office, more uneven for freelancers paid by the job. It suits people who like accuracy, prefer working through a task alone and can hold their focus on detail for long stretches.
What people like
- Your output is easy to measure. A document that comes back clean and on time is a finished piece of work, and accuracy is something you can watch improve with practice.
- Quiet, focused work. Much of the day is spent alone with a queue of files and a set of headphones, which suits people who would rather finish one task than field constant interruptions.
- A speciality makes the work more interesting. Learning medical or legal vocabulary turns routine typing into material you actually understand, and it is the part of the job software handles least well.
- Some flexibility in where you work. Transcription is often done from home and can fit around study or caring responsibilities, as long as the deadlines are still met.
What people find hard
- Hours at the keyboard take a physical toll. Wrists, shoulders and eyes carry the load of a full day's typing, so breaks, a decent chair and a sensible setup are not optional.
- Deadlines bunch up. Documents often have to go out the same day, so a job arriving at four in the afternoon can mean staying back to finish it.
- Mistakes are costly to trace. A wrong figure in a legal or medical document has to be found and corrected, sometimes after it has already been sent, and the checking falls back on you.
- Little variety in the work itself. The job is the document in front of you, and the scope only widens if you move into broader administration or a transcription speciality.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ typists?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of typists, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
- 2Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 3Administrative and Support Services
- 4Public Administration and Safety
- 5Construction
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 24% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 20% | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | |
| Other | 8% |
Will AI replace typists?
Typing sits among the jobs most exposed to automation, because the core task is turning one form of text into another that software can already read. Speech recognition and optical character recognition now handle clear audio and clean printed pages, which is why routine copy typing has thinned out. What remains is the material those tools handle badly, plus the formatting and checking that still needs someone who knows the house rules.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Copy typing from handwritten or printed draftsOptical character recognition reads clean printed pages accurately, so what lands on a typist's desk is usually difficult handwriting, poor scans and damaged originals.30%high
- Transcribing audio recordingsSpeech-to-text copes with clear single-speaker dictation, but accented speech, group consultations and bad phone lines still need a person listening closely.25%high
- Formatting documents to house or client styleTemplates and style tools handle spacing and headings, but matching a firm's letterhead, court or record conventions still takes someone who knows the rules.25%moderate
- Proofreading typed work against the sourceChecking names, figures and dosages against the original is what catches errors the software introduces, so it stays with the typist.20%low
Common questions about becoming a typist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a typist earn?
Typists earn a median $57,200 per year, before tax. Pay rises with specialisation, so legal and medical transcription sits above general copy typing, and award classifications, penalty rates and casual loading move it further.
How do you become a typist?
There is no licence or registration, so the entry requirement is speed, accuracy and a working knowledge of Word and transcription software. Most employers test your typing before hiring, and a certificate III or IV in business or business administration is the qualification many typists hold. For medical or legal work, a short course in the relevant terminology is usually expected.
Are typists in demand?
Typists are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to decline 14% over the decade to 2035. The work that remains is concentrated in specialist transcription and document checking, so training in medical or legal terminology is a practical way to make yourself useful to employers.
Will AI replace typists?
Much of the routine work has already gone that way. Speech recognition and optical character recognition convert clear audio and printed text into editable documents, so what reaches a typist is usually poor recordings, difficult handwriting and specialist material. Formatting to a firm's conventions and checking names, figures and dosages against the source are the parts still done by hand.
What can a typist move into?
Typing and document skills carry into several nearby roles. Receptionist work shares much of the record keeping and customer contact, with a short course covering the front desk, and pays $6,700 more. Secretarial and personal assistant roles build on your document production with correspondence and diary management, paying $27,400 more and $38,100 more respectively.
Can typists work from home?
Often, yes. Transcription and copy typing are among the easier jobs to do remotely, and both agencies and freelance platforms place home-based workers. In-house roles are more likely to be office-based, at least for part of the week.
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