Fact Sheet: Administrative Professionals 2007

 A Large and Growing Profession …

• More than 4,126,000 administrative assistants and secretaries, along with 1,482,000 supervisors of office and administrative support workers, were employed in the United States in 2004 (U.S. Department of Labor).

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

•  Millions more administrative professionals work in offices around the globe.

• More than 255,000 administrative assistant and secretarial positions will be added in the U.S. between 2004 and 2014, representing growth of 6.2%. More than 438,000 office supervisor positions will be added. (U.S. Department of Labor)

A Hub of Information and Communication in the Office …

Responsible for an expanding range of business functions:

• Purchase office equipment and supplies

• Plan meetings and special events

• Participate on project teams

• Work closely with vendors and suppliers

• Create presentations

• Interview, orient and supervise other staff

• Desktop publishing

• Coordinate direct mailings

• Maintain multiple schedules and calendars

• Handle correspondence (with voice mail, e-mail, and regular postal mail)

• Maintain computer files, directories and databases

Management and technology skills needed:

• Outstanding interpersonal communication skills

• Project management knowledge

• Mastery of integrated office software applications

• Top-notch organizational abilities

• Advanced knowledge of document preparation, storage, and retrieval, with emphasis on electronic record keeping

• Exemplary customer service skills

Job Titles Reflect Wide Range of Duties …

• Administrative Assistant, 30%
•  Executive Assistant, 18%
• Executive Secretary, 6%
• Office Manager or Supervisor, 5%
• Secretary, 5%
   
• More than one fourth (26%) of those surveyed reported a wide range of other titles including such terms as coordinator, administrator, specialist or associate, denoting specialized business types or functions such as legal, accounting, medical, human resources, and many others.

Salaries Are Rising …

• Average annual earnings of U.S. executive secretaries and administrative assistants were $37,350 in 2005 (U.S. Dept. of Labor).

•  A 2005 survey of IAAP members showed that 45% of members earn more than $40,000 per year in base salary, compared to 33% in 2002 and 8% in 1997.

Administrative Professionals Week (April 22-28, 2007)

• Administrative Professionals Week and Administrative Professionals Day (Wednesday, April 25, 2007) call attention to the important workplace role of administrative professionals. Observed since 1952,.. Administrative Professionals Week is originated and solely sponsored by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

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

• The 2007 Administrative Professionals Week theme is “Shaping the Future.”

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