Technical Writers
SOC Code: 27-3042 Job Zone 4: Considerable Preparation Needed
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
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Prevailing Wage Levels (National)
DOL/OFLC prevailing wage thresholds for Technical Writers. Hourly rates x 2,080 = annual.
FY2027 Weighted Lottery Impact
| Level | Lottery Entries | Est. Selection Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (Entry) | 1 entry | ~16% |
| Level II (Qualified) | 2 entries | ~31% |
| Level III (Experienced) | 3 entries | ~45% |
| Level IV (Expert) | 4 entries | ~61% |
Prevailing Wages by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $84,926 | $118,477 | $152,048 | $185,598 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $87,339 | $116,979 | $146,640 | $176,280 |
| Merced, CA | $80,454 | $111,072 | $141,669 | $172,286 |
| Salinas, CA | $80,538 | $111,010 | $141,461 | $171,933 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $83,533 | $110,718 | $137,925 | $165,110 |
| Modesto, CA | $83,013 | $110,344 | $137,654 | $164,986 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $78,770 | $106,018 | $133,245 | $160,493 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $82,430 | $107,474 | $132,496 | $157,539 |
| Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $69,742 | $96,866 | $123,989 | $151,112 |
| Vallejo, CA | $75,837 | $100,443 | $125,050 | $149,656 |
H-1B Filing Data
Top H-1B Employers
| Employer | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| The MathWorks, Inc. | 23 | $97,503 |
| AMAZON DEVELOPMENT CENTER U.S., INC. | 20 | $122,540 |
| Google LLC | 19 | $149,294 |
| L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES LIMITED | 15 | $79,168 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | 13 | $117,234 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 10 | $196,105 |
| Apple Inc. | 8 | $155,945 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | 8 | $186,827 |
| CYIENT, INC. | 7 | $67,732 |
| COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS US CORP | 6 | $73,504 |
Filing Trend
| Year | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 36 | $85,965 |
| 2021 | 39 | $117,350 |
| 2022 | 30 | $109,423 |
| 2023 | 99 | $99,413 |
| 2024 | 203 | $106,203 |
| 2025 | 240 | $104,406 |
| 2026 | 24 | $118,113 |
Key Skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Writing | 4.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | |
| Active Learning | 3.2 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
Knowledge Areas
| Knowledge | Importance |
|---|---|
| English Language | 4.8 |
| Computers and Electronics | 4.3 |
| Administrative | 3.8 |
| Communications and Media | 3.2 |
| Administration and Management | 3.2 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.2 |
| Education and Training | 3.2 |
| Production and Processing | 3.1 |
Education Requirements
| Education Level | % of Workers |
|---|---|
| Associate's degree | 35.2% |
| Bachelor's degree | 33.0% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 15.9% |
| Some college | 6.9% |
| Doctoral degree | 5.5% |
| Master's degree | 2.5% |
Typical Tasks
- Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
- Maintain records and files of work and revisions.
- Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
- Confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.
- Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
- Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.
- Study drawings, specifications, mockups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production sequence and detail.
- Interview production and engineering personnel and read journals and other material to become familiar with product technologies and production methods.
Technology Skills
Green = Hot Technology in demand
Adobe Acrobat Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Atlassian Confluence Atlassian JIRA Autodesk AutoCAD Cascading style sheets CSS Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Epic Systems Extensible markup language XML Git GitHub Hypertext markup language HTML
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