The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PAPERWORK
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
A
P
E
R
W
O
R
K
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "clerical occupation" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case clerical occupation = paperwork.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PAPERWORK mean?
PAPERWORK noun- Routine work involving written documents
- Written documents
- Excessive paperwork, busy work, red tape.