Fact · Dictation for work and study
42percent of the work week
In the NC State 2018 survey, marketing professionals reported spending an average of 42 percent of the total work week writing, the highest share of any field.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“the average percentage reported across professions ranged from a high of 42 percent of time for marketing professionals to 26 percent of time for programmers”
Communication in the Workplace: What Can NC State Students Expect?, Jason Swarts et al., Professional Writing Program, Department of English, North Carolina State University, 2018, Section 1, Figure 1.5.
Open the original- What it measures
- Respondents were asked what share of their work week they spend writing. The report averaged each field's answers. The percentages are self-reported estimates.
- What it does not show
- A self-estimate, not a time log. It counts all writing, including email, so it is not the same as time spent drafting documents.