Shortage of Court Reporters Predicted
Shortage of Court Reporters Predicted
According to the recent Court Reporting Industry Outlook Report commissioned by National Court Reporters Association, there will be an estimated 5,500 new court reporter jobs available by 2018 in the United States. The greatest demand is expected in California, Texas, Illinois, and New York. However, this demand for court reporters will likely exceed the supply within five years. Already some states are feeling the impact of the court reporting shortage. In South Carolina, criminal proceedings have had to be delayed because no court reporters have been available to record the proceedings.
The court reporting industry is experiencing this shortage as graduation rates from court reporting schools fall and the population of court reporters ages. Seventy percent of court reporters are 46 years of age or older. As older court reporters retire, younger court reporters are not rising up to fill the ranks, despite the significant advantages to a career in court reporting. A court reporter has job security and the opportunity for growth without the expensive requirement of a four-year college degree. And the average starting salary – currently $43,000 – is forecasted to grow 14% in the next five years. A more experienced court reporter can make upwards of $100,000 annually.
To combat the shortage, court reporting schools are doing their best to provide attractive incentives to newcomers. Some schools, such as the College of Court Reporting in Hobart, Indiana, are offering significant tuition discounts. Most schools work hard to ensure all students are placed with a full-time position upon graduation. In fact, most students will receive multiple job offers before they even graduate.
With all of these perks, why aren’t more young professionals headed into the court reporting field? One of the key problems seems to be a low awareness of the profession. Further, a career in court reporting is challenging. Court reporters must have an extremely high attention to detail and be very strong in English grammar. Given the nature of the work, court reporters may be required to work through the night or throughout a weekend to complete a transcript. Most court reporting positions are also very independent. Court reporters will largely work from their home, and when they are on the job they are expected to be “seen and not heard.” The job does not provide the camaraderie and socialization that today’s millennial generation desires.
Although advances in voice-recognition technology continue to be made, this is still not a valid alternative to the accuracy of a court reporter, and likely will not be for years to come.
