Technical writers, also called technical communicators, prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. They also develop, gather, and disseminate technical information through an organization’s communications channels.

Most technical writers work full time in offices. Although technical writers work in a variety of industries, they are concentrated in the computer and engineering industries.

A college degree is usually required for a position as a technical writer. In addition, experience with a technical subject, such as computer science, Web design, or engineering, is important.

Employment of technical writers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth will be driven by the continuing expansion of scientific and technical products and by growth in Web-based product support. Job opportunities, especially for applicants with technical skills, are expected to be good.

This occupation supported 49,500 jobs in 2012 and 52,000 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 5.1%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 14.9% in 2022 to 56,900 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 50,900, compared with an observed value of 52,000, 2.2% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 10.7% in 2024 to 57,300 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 58,300 jobs for 2024, 1.7% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are about on track with the 2012 trend within this occupation.