OfficeTeam is the world’s leading staffing service specializing in highly skilled temporary office and administrative professionals. The company’s annual Salary Guide is based on extensive research, as well as local and national employment data gathered from more than 250 OfficeTeam locations throughout the United States. The national salary ranges listed in the guide can be adjusted for specific markets using regional variance data provided in the Salary Guide.

“Starting salaries in the administrative field are slowly returning to pre-recession levels,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. “During the economic downturn, base compensation largely remained flat and even declined in some areas. As the job market recovers, competition for highly qualified candidates will increase and, as a result, these individuals will command higher starting salaries.”

Specialties in Demand
According to OfficeTeam research, senior executive assistants will see the greatest increase in starting salaries of any single administrative job classification in 2005, with base compensation expected to rise 6.3 percent to the range of $35,000 to $46,250 annually. Senior executive assistants supporting C-level executives in large firms will likely draw higher starting salaries. Average starting salaries for executive assistants are expected to increase 5.6 percent to between $30,000 and $38,000.

Starting salaries for medical customer service representatives will increase 5.9 percent to between $22,250 and $27,500 annually. Patient registration/admissions clerks can expect starting salaries to rise 5.2 percent to the range of $22,250 to $28,000, and medical records clerks will see starting salary increases of 4.8 percent, to between $20,000 and $24,000.

Industry Trends
Healthcare, accounting/finance and real estate are among the industries that report consistent demand for administrative staff, according to OfficeTeam research. However, employment opportunities vary by geographic region. Regional hiring trends and selected local salary variances are included in the OfficeTeam 2005 Salary Guide.

“Increasingly, hiring managers expect support professionals to bring specialized skills and certifications to new positions,” said Domeyer. “Administrative skills are not transferable to every environment, and complex roles often require highly targeted knowledge.”

For example, employers may be willing to pay up to 7 percent more for Certified Administrative Professional or Certified Professional Secretary designations, and up to 10 percent more for Microsoft Office Specialist Certification. Expert bilingual abilities can increase an applicant’s base compensation up to 8 percent.

Starting salary information in the OfficeTeam 2005 Salary Guide is based on the thousands of job orders handled in the United States each year by OfficeTeam staffing managers. Continuing or ongoing salaries are not reported since too many factors — such as seniority, work ethic, performance and training — impact a full-time employee’s compensation as a work history develops.

Businesses nationwide consult the OfficeTeam Salary Guide each year to determine starting salaries for administrative staff. The U.S. Department of Labor uses the guide in preparation of its Occupational Outlook Handbook, one of the best-selling government publications.