Technical Writers
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
45,500 people do this job in the US. $90,390 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 85%
- 2%
- 12%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 21%. Today's estimate: 30%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 22% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 15% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 12% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | 36%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Study drawings, specifications, mockups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production sequence and detail.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Develop or maintain online help documentation.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Assist in laying out material for publication.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Maintain records and files of work and revisions.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Review manufacturer's and trade catalogs, drawings and other data relative to operation, maintenance, and service of equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Arrange for typing, duplication, and distribution of material.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 2% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 38%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 2% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 1% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).