Fact Sheet: Administrative Professionals 2008

 A Large and Growing Profession …

·         4.2 million administrative assistants and secretaries, along with 1.4 million supervisors of office and administrative support staff, were employed in the United States in 2006 (U.S. Dept. of Labor).

·         476,000 administrative professionals are employed in Canada, including 365,670 secretaries, 26,390 executive assistants and 84,140 clerical supervisors (Statistics Canada).

·         362,000 administrative assistant and secretarial positions will be added in the U.S. between 2006 and 2016, representing growth of 8.5%. More than 82,000 office supervisor positions will be added. (U.S. Dept. of Labor).

A Hub of Information and Communication in the Office
Typical duties of today’s administrative professionals:

Prepare documents, correspondence and presentations
Produce spreadsheet reports
Coordinate multiple schedules and calendars
Maintain computer files, directories and databases
Plan meetings and special events
Purchase office equipment and supplies and work with vendors
Participate on project teams
Interview, orient and supervise other staff
Conduct Internet research

Salaries Are Rising …

·         $37,240 - Average 2006 annual earnings of U.S. executive secretaries and administrative assistants (U.S. Dept. of Labor).

·         3.2% - Expected average increase in starting salaries for administrative professionals in 2008 (OfficeTeam 2008 Salary Guide).

Administrative Professionals Week (April 20-26, 2008)

·         Administrative Professionals Week and Administrative Professionals Day (Wednesday, April 23, 2008) call attention to the important workplace role of administrative professionals. The 2008 Administrative Professionals Week theme is “Forward Moving.”

·         Observed since 1952, Administrative Professionals Week is originated and solely sponsored by the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

·         IAAP recommends that employers observe Administrative Professionals Week by providing education and training to administrative staff through seminars, continuing education and self-study materials.

IAAP is the world’s leading association for administrative professionals,with 600 chapters and more than 40,000 members and affiliates worldwide.