Description
General office support workers prepare correspondence, reports, statements and other material, operate office equipment, answer telephones, verify, record and process forms and documents such as contracts and requisitions and perform general clerical duties according to established procedures. They are employed in offices throughout the public and private sectors.
Job Titles
- Administrative clerk
- Aircraft records clerk
- File and classification clerk
- Filing clerk
- General office worker
- Medical records clerk
- Office assistant
- Office clerk
- Records filing-system clerk
- Technical records clerk
- Ward clerk – hospital
- Warranty clerk
Main Duties
- Respond to telephone, in person or electronic enquiries or forward to appropriate person
- Prepare correspondence, reports, statements, forms, presentations, applications and other documents
- Process incoming and outgoing mail, manually or electronically
- Photocopy and collate documents for distribution, mailing and filing
- Send and receive messages and documents using fax machine or electronic mail
- Maintain inventory of office supplies, order supplies as required and arrange for servicing of office equipment
- Assist in preparing meeting agendas, attend meetings, and record minutes
- Assist with administrative procedures such as budget submissions, contracts administration and work schedules
- May sort, process and verify receipts, expenditures, forms and other documents
- May organize the flow of work for other office support workers
- May perform basic bookkeeping tasks such as preparing invoices and bank deposits.
Workplaces
- Establishments throughout the private and public sector
Skills
- Management of Material Resources
- Coordinating
- Evaluation
- Instructing
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
Abilities
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Auditory Attention
- Categorization Flexibility
- Deductive Reasoning
- Far Vision
Personal Attributes
- Collaboration
- Active Learning
- Adaptability
- Analytical Thinking
- Attention to Detail
Similar Occupations
- Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers (12010)
- Administrative officers (13100)
- Administrative assistants (13110)
- Receptionists (14101)
- Court clerks and related court services occupations (14103)
- Data entry clerks (14111)
- Accounting and related clerks (14200)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be Moderate for general office support workers (NOC 14100) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are several unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
- High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.
General office support workers are employed across nearly all industries, with major opportunities in government, healthcare, education, and business services. This entry-level role often experiences high turnover, creating frequent openings throughout the year. While automation has reduced some traditional clerical tasks like filing and data entry, demand remains healthy for workers with solid communication skills, digital fluency (especially in Microsoft Office and cloud-based tools), and the flexibility to work evenings or weekends. Bilingual candidates and those with prior administrative experience are especially competitive.
Here are some key facts about General office support workers in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 600 people work in this occupation.
- General office support workers mainly work in the following sectors:
- Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 24%
- Hospitals (NAICS 622): 24%
- Construction (NAICS 23): 6%
- Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 6%
- Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 6%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 82% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 18% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 60% of general office support workers work all year, while 40% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 41 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- Less than 5% of general office support workers are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 20% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 80% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 34% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 11% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 36% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 12% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $17.00 | $22.25 | $29.74 |
| Canada | $16.55 | $23.99 | $34.00 |
Training
| TRAINING PROGRAM | INSTITUTION | CREDENTIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Assistant | Holland College | Certificate |
| Certificate in Business | UPEI | Certificate |
| Bilingual Administrative Assistant | Collège de l’Île | Certificate |