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Administrative Assistant Future Job Outlook & Prospects
Overall employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment growth, however, will vary by occupational specialty.
Employment of executive secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to show little or no change from 2012 to 2022. This is largely because companies are replacing executive secretaries with lower-cost administrative assistants. Many administrative assistants can also support more than one manager in an organization.
In addition, many managers now perform work that was previously done by their executive secretaries. For example, they often type their own correspondence or schedule their own travel and meetings.
Employment of medical secretaries is projected to grow 36 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. Federal health legislation will expand the number of patients who have access to health insurance, increasing patient access to medical care. In addition, the aging population will have increased demand for medical services. As a result, medical secretaries will be needed to handle administrative tasks related to billing and insurance processing.
Employment of legal secretaries is projected to decline 3 percent from 2012 to 2022. In order to cut costs, a growing number of legal firms are having paralegals and legal assistants perform work normally done by legal secretaries.
Employment of secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive, is projected to grow 13 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Many secretarial and administrative duties are of a personal, interactive nature. Because technology cannot substitute for interpersonal skills, secretaries and administrative assistants will continue to play a role in most organizations.
Adminstrative Assistant Job Prospects
Many job openings are expected to come from the need to replace secretaries and administrative assistants who leave the occupation.
Those with a combination of related work experience and computer skills should have the best job prospects.
* Job duties, pay rates, outlook, and prospects courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, on the Internet athttp://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm