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General office support workers

OaSIS code 14100.01

General office support workers prepare correspondence, reports, statements and other material, operate office equipment, answer telephones and perform clerical duties of a general nature according to established procedures.

Overview

Also known as

  • Administrative clerk
  • General office worker
  • Office assistant
  • Office clerk
  • Warranty clerk

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following 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.

Additional information

  • Progression to supervisory or office management positions is possible with experience.
  • Progression to officer level positions is possible with additional training and experience.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • 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)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

1 – Business, finance and administration occupations

TEER

4 – Occupations usually require a secondary school diploma; or several weeks of on-the-job training

Major group

14 – Administrative and financial support and supply chain logistics occupations

Sub-major group

141 – Office, court, and data support occupations

Minor group

1410 – Office support and court services occupations

Unit group

14100 – General office support workers

Occupational profile

14100.01 – General office support workers

Work characteristics

Work characteristics gathers the various components describing the work environment of each occupation, such as employers, work activities, and the work context. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of complexity (for Work Activities) or other measurement dimensions (for Work Context), and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Work Activities

Proficiency or complexity level
Analyzing Data or Information
2 - Low Level
Assisting and Caring for Others
2 - Low Level
Clerical Activities
2 - Low Level
Communicating with Coworkers
2 - Low Level
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
2 - Low Level

Work Context

Structural Job Characteristics

Structured versus Unstructured Work
Degree of freedom to determine tasks and priorities
3 - Moderate amount of freedom
Work Week Duration
Worked hours in a typical week
2 - Between 35 to 40 hours

Physical Work Environment

Physical Proximity
Physical distance from others
3 - Somewhat close (e.g. share office)

Physical Demands

Sitting
Duration
5 - All the time, or almost all the time
Standing
Duration
1 - Very little time
Bending or Twisting the Body
Duration
1 - Very little time

Interpersonal Relations

Contact with Others
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day
Duration
4 - More than half the time
Work with Work Group or Team
Importance
4 - Highly important
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day

Workplaces/employers

  • Establishements throughout the private and public sector

Skills and abilities

This section displays the various competencies required for an occupation. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency (for Skills and Abilities) or importance (for Personal Attributes) and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Abilities

Proficiency or complexity level
Arm-Hand Steadiness
2 - Low Level
Auditory Attention
2 - Low Level
Categorization Flexibility
2 - Low Level
Deductive Reasoning
2 - Low Level
Far Vision
2 - Low Level

Skills

Proficiency or complexity level
Management of Material Resources
3 - Moderate Level
Coordinating
2 - Low Level
Evaluation
2 - Low Level
Instructing
2 - Low Level
Learning and Teaching Strategies
2 - Low Level

Personal Attributes

Importance
Collaboration
4 - Highly important
Active Learning
3 - Important
Adaptability
3 - Important
Analytical Thinking
3 - Important
Attention to Detail
3 - Important