Clerical Occupations

Key points for selected clerical occupations

• There were approximately 191,000 persons employed in clerical occupations, representing 10% of total employment in the economy.
  
• Employment was distributed across several sectors of the economy, primarily in financial intermediation (including insurance), wholesale and retail and public administration.
  
• Between 2008 and 2009, there were 5,000 net job losses; the total number of job gains in both other clerks and numerical clerks and cashiers was not sufficient to compensate for the total number of jobs losses in the other occupations.
  
• At 16% each, the share of secretaries (excluding legal) and filing and other records clerks aged 55 and over exceeded the national average. 
  
• With the exception of computer and office machine operators, the share with third level qualifications in each of the occupations was below the national average.
  
• Employment in clerical occupations was predominantly female: with the exception of computer and office machine operators, at least two thirds of the workforce in each occupation was female.
  
• Almost 50% of all employed receptionists and telephonists worked part time.
  
• At 8.5%, the share of non-Irish employed in the selected occupations was below the national average.

Shortage Indicators

There are currently no shortages of clerks in Ireland. There are some indications of difficulties in sourcing multilingual accounting clerks and debt collectors.