Because of recent public demand that English teachers teach students basic writing skills to prepare them for employment, a study was conducted in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to determine what kinds of writing skills employers require of their workers. One hundred and sixty-four employers of the Association of Manufacturers and Commerce were sent a listing of 27 writing skills and were asked to check whether "some,""much," or "little" competency was desired in each skill area. The skill areas fell into three categories: composition, punctuation, and word usage. The results indicated a great deal of demand for writing skills in the composition area, although footnoting, writing from an outline, outlining, and rewriting were not highly desired skills. Employers seemed to agree that punctuation skills were also desirable. The word usage category included spelling and vocabulary, and employers wanted "much" competency in this area as well. Overall the results indicated that writing skills are important for getting and keeping a job. (HTH)