Secretary or Administrative Assistant

Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. They arrange files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.

Duties

Secretaries and administrative assistants typically do the following:

Answer telephones and take messages or transfer calls
Schedule appointments and update event calendars
Arrange staff meetings
Handle incoming and outgoing mail and faxes
Prepare memos, invoices, or reports
Edit documents
Maintain databases and filing systems
Perform basic bookkeeping

Secretaries and administrative assistants help an organization run efficiently. They use computer software to create spreadsheets; manage databases; and prepare presentations, reports, and documents. They also may negotiate with vendors, buy supplies, and manage stockrooms or corporate libraries. Secretaries and administrative assistants also use videoconferencing and other office equipment. Specific job duties vary by experience, job title, and specialty.

The following are examples of types of secretaries and administrative assistants:

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants provide high-level support for an office and for top executives of an organization. They often handle complex responsibilities, such as reviewing incoming documents, conducting research, and preparing reports. Some also supervise clerical staff.

Legal secretaries and administrative assistants must have knowledge of legal terminology and procedures. They prepare summonses, complaints, motions, subpoenas, and other legal documents under the supervision of an attorney or a paralegal. They also review legal journals and help with legal research—for example, by verifying quotes and citations in legal briefs.

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants transcribe dictation and prepare reports or articles for physicians or medical scientists. They also take simple medical histories of patients, arrange for patients to be hospitalized, or process insurance payments. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants need to be familiar with medical terminology and codes, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive form the largest subcategory of secretaries and administrative assistants. They handle administrative activities for offices in almost every sector of the economy, including schools, government, and private corporations. For example, secretaries in schools are often responsible for most of the communications among parents, students, the community, teachers, and school administrators. They schedule appointments, receive visitors, and keep track of student records.

Work Environment

Secretaries and administrative assistants usually work in offices.

Secretaries and administrative assistants held about 3.4 million jobs in 2022. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up secretaries and administrative assistants was distributed as follows:

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	2,030,200
Medical secretaries and administrative assistants	696,600
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants	511,100
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants	161,400

The largest employers of secretaries and administrative assistants were as follows:

Healthcare and social assistance	26%
Educational services; state, local, and private	15
Professional, scientific, and technical services	12
Government	8
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	5

Secretaries and administrative assistants work in nearly every industry.

Most secretaries and administrative assistants work in offices. Some administrative assistants work out of their own homes as virtual assistants.

Work Schedules

Most secretaries and administrative assistants work full time.

Getting Started

How to Become a Secretary or Administrative Assistant

Secretaries and administrative assistants may seek training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.

High school graduates who are comfortable using word processing and spreadsheet programs typically qualify for entry-level positions. Although workers typically learn their duties over several weeks on the job, legal and medical secretaries and administrative assistants may need additional training to learn industry-specific terminology. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically need several years of related work experience.

Education

Some community colleges and technical schools offer courses or programs in a variety of secretarial and administrative assistance fields. For example, courses or programs in office procedures focus on working in a business setting; those in industry-specific terminology and practices prepare students for jobs as medical and legal secretaries. Temporary placement agencies also may provide training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.

A bachelor's degree typically is not required to become a secretary or administrative assistant. However, some of these workers have a degree in a field such as business, education, or communications. Employers may prefer to hire candidates for executive secretary and executive administrative assistant positions who have taken some college courses or have a bachelor’s degree.

Training

Secretaries and administrative assistants typically learn their skills through on-the-job training that lasts a few weeks. During this time, they learn about administrative procedures, including how to prepare documents. Medical and legal secretaries and administrative assistants may train for several months as they learn industry-specific terminology and practices.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically need several years of work experience in other administrative positions, such as secretaries and general office clerks.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to decline 10 percent from 2022 to 2032.

Despite declining employment, about 316,000 openings for secretaries and administrative assistants are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Projected employment of secretaries and administrative assistants varies by occupation (see table).

Employment growth is projected for medical secretaries, primarily due to the growth of the healthcare industry. For example, baby boomers will require more medical services as they age. Medical secretaries will be needed to handle administrative tasks related to billing and insurance processing of Medicare and other claims.

Employment is projected to decline for other secretaries and administrative assistants. Technology enables staff in many organizations to prepare their own documents without the help of secretaries. Additionally, many executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants support more than one manager in an organization, and many managers now do tasks that were previously done by these workers.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about careers in secretarial and administrative work, visit

American Society of Administrative Professionals

The Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals

Executive Support Magazine

International Association of Administrative Professionals

For more information about legal secretaries and administrative assistants, visit

NALS

For more information about virtual assistants, visit

International Virtual Assistants Association

Occupational Requirements Survey

For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (PDF)

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants (PDF)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical, and executive) (PDF)

Similar Occupations

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of secretaries and administrative assistants.

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks produce financial records for organizations and check financial records for accuracy.	Some college, no degree	$45,860
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners	Court reporters create word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings. Simultaneous captioners provide similar transcriptions for television or for presentations in other settings, such as press conferences and business meetings, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$63,560
General Office Clerks	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	High school diploma or equivalent	$38,040
Information Clerks	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties, maintain records, collect data, and provide information to customers.	See How to Become One	$38,710
Medical Records Specialists	Medical records specialists compile, process, and maintain patient files.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$47,180
Medical Transcriptionists	Medical transcriptionists use electronic devices to convert voice recordings from physicians and other healthcare workers into formal reports.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$34,730
Paralegals and Legal Assistants	Paralegals and legal assistants perform a variety of tasks to support lawyers.	Associate's degree	$59,200
Receptionists	Receptionists do tasks such as answering phones, receiving visitors, and providing information about their organization to the public.	High school diploma or equivalent	$33,960
Financial Clerks	Financial clerks do administrative work, help customers, and carry out transactions that involve money.	High school diploma or equivalent	$45,570
Travel Agents	Travel agents sell transportation, lodging, and entertainment activities to individuals and groups planning trips.	High school diploma or equivalent	$46,400