Browse Skills office software

office software

🔻 Declining ESCO reuse: cross-sector

The characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.

office software — the characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database. McKinsey's Skill Change Index places it in the declining band (SCI 64.38/100) — a skill likely to fall in demand as AI and automation cover more of its ground by 2030. ESCO classifies it as a cross-sector (useful across many industries) skill within knowledge. It is currently listed by 17 occupations in our catalogue, including Public relations managers, ICT teacher secondary school, digital literacy teacher, and back office specialist.

Category: knowledge › computer use SCI: 64.38/100 Also known as: office operating system, office IT software, office application, office programme, office soft-ware

Occupations that require office software

Showing top 17 of 17 occupations · ranked by India employment volume, then AI-durability.

Public relations managers 👥 25,000 · 🤖 6.0/10
ICT teacher secondary school · 🤖 4.7/10
digital literacy teacher · 🤖 4.7/10
back office specialist · 🤖 5.0/10
headteacher · 🤖 5.0/10
insurance clerk · 🤖 5.0/10
investment clerk · 🤖 5.0/10
parliamentary assistant · 🤖 5.0/10
project support officer · 🤖 5.0/10
property assistant · 🤖 5.0/10
supply chain assistant · 🤖 5.0/10
Administrative services managers · 🤖 5.6/10
translation agency manager · 🤖 5.6/10
translator · 🤖 5.6/10
middle office analyst · 🤖 5.8/10
computer games, multimedia and software specialised seller · 🤖 6.4/10
Brokerage clerks · 🤖 7.9/10

Frequently asked questions

What is office software?

The characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.

What category of skill is office software?

ESCO classifies office software under the knowledge category, specifically in the computer use subcategory.

Is office software an AI-durable skill?

McKinsey's Skill Change Index places it in the declining band (SCI 64.38/100) — a skill likely to fall in demand as AI and automation cover more of its ground by 2030. Prioritise this skill only when it directly enables paid work today — plan for AI to absorb more of it every year.

Which jobs require office software?

In our catalogue, 17 occupations list office software as a required or important skill. The top occupations by employment volume include Public relations managers, ICT teacher secondary school, digital literacy teacher, back office specialist, headteacher, insurance clerk.

How transferable is office software between industries?

ESCO tags office software as a cross-sector (useful across many industries) skill — a signal of how portable it is when you change field.

Is office software the same as office operating system?

Yes — office software is also known as office operating system, office IT software, office application, office programme, or office soft-ware. They refer to the same underlying capability in the ESCO taxonomy.

How can I learn office software?

The most reliable path is to pick a job or project that demands office software and learn through delivery. Complement that with role-specific roadmaps and short courses. Explore the occupations below to see where this skill is used in practice.

Data: ESCO v1.2.1 (CC-BY-4.0). Durability framework informed by McKinsey Global Institute (Nov 2025). See our methodology.