Profile of Administrative Professionals
Results from IAAP February 2005 Benchmarking Survey—3,200
total responses
In
February 2005, a total of 15,000 members of the International
Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) were randomly selected and
asked to participate in a benchmarking survey designed to gather current data
on job titles, key responsibilities, average salaries, job satisfaction,
technology usage, training needs and other key issues relating to today’s
administrative professionals. More than 3,200 members submitted their survey
answers by the February 26 response deadline. Below are some of the survey
results. (Note: Some percentage results may not total 100% because of
rounding to nearest whole number)
Key Findings
-
Almost nine out of ten
administrative professionals said they are responding to new job demands by
contributing more to
their organizations than they were five years ago. In addition, 88% said
their workplace contributions have increased in the
past five years. Along with greater contributions, more than
three-fourths—78%—said their level of authority and autonomy
for decision making has grown over the past five years.
-
Areas in which IAAP
respondents said their responsibilities have grown the most are office
management, information
coordination and supervision. Other areas in which responsibilities
increased include travel planning, meeting planning,
project management and online purchasing. Budget development and expense
tracking were also noted as key areas frequently handled by administrative
staff.
-
Administrative
professionals in the survey reported a high level of job satisfaction—7.7 on
a scale of 1 to 10. When
asked what aspect of their jobs they enjoy most, 40% cited “playing an
important role in the organization.” Other job
aspects most enjoyed are: organizing and coordinating, 22%; dealing with
people, 12%; and using technical skills, 11%.
Many respondents also noted that they appreciate the variety of
responsibilities that their jobs offer.
-
The greatest job challenges
cited by admins are juggling multiple priorities, dealing with difficult
people, and lack of
time to handle the volume of work.
-
Administrative
professionals rated their managers well, giving them an average score of 7.2
out of 10 on how well they utilize the admin’s job skills and abilities.
Over 57% were very satisfied with the level of communications their managers
maintain with them.
-
IAAP members have seen
their salaries increase. The 2005 survey results show 45% of members earning
more than $40,000 in base salary annually, compared to 33% in a similar 2002
survey and just 8% in 1997.
-
Survey respondents said the
top five most significant issues affecting the administrative profession in
the next five to 10
years are: 1) Keeping up with changing technology; 2) Increased workload; 3)
Doing more with less resources/budget constraints; 4) Balancing work and
family; 5) Need for more training in management and supervisory skills.
COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS
Survey results based on total of 3,200 responses
Current job
title
| Administrative
Assistant |
30% |
| Executive
Assistant |
18% |
| Executive
Secretary |
6% |
| Office Manager
or Supervisor |
5% |
| Secretary |
5% |
| Administrative
Secretary |
4% |
| Administrative
Coordinator |
3% |
| Assistant to
[Exec Title] |
2% |
| Administrative
Manager |
1% |
|
Other responses |
26% |
"Administrative Assistant" continues to
be the most commonly used job title -- administrative assistant was also the
most commonly reported title in similar IAAP surveys done in
2002 and 1997. More than one fourth (26%) of
those surveyed reported a wide range of titles using terms
such as coordinator, administrator, specialist, associate, or denoting
specialized business types or functions such as legal, accounting, medical,
human resources, Note "Other responses" link above for listing of more than 500
job titles
of survey respondents.
Primary career goal
| Remain in the
administrative professional field |
41% |
| Advance career
within my company |
20% |
| Retire |
9% |
| Move into
management |
8% |
| Own my own
business |
4% |
| Work as
self-employed virtual assistant |
4% |
| Change careers |
4% |
| Not sure |
6% |
|
Other responses |
4% |
Majority of survey respondents (61%) either
want to remain in the administrative field or advance career with their current employer.
Enjoy most about being an
administrative professional...
|
Playing an important role in the
organization |
40% |
|
Organizing and coordinating
information/projects |
22% |
|
Dealing with people |
12% |
|
Using my technical skills |
11% |
|
Producing quality documents,
reports, publications |
7% |
|
Representing my manager(s) |
6% |
|
Making decisions |
2% |
|
Other responses |
|
When asked what aspect of
their jobs they enjoy most, 40% cite “playing an important role in the
organization.” Many respondents
also noted that they appreciate the variety of tasks and responsibilities their jobs
offer.
Current level of overall job
satisfaction in current position
| Overall rating: 7.7
(On rating scale of 0 to 10; 10 being most satisfied;0 least satisfied) |
Administrative professionals
in the survey report a relatively high level of job satisfaction – 7.7 on a scale of 0 to
10.
Most important job
satisfaction factors
(On rating scale of 0 to 10; 10 being most
important job factor; 0 least important job factor)
| Good working
relationship with managers and co-workers |
9.3 |
| Good salary,
fringe benefits |
9.2 |
|
Self-satisfaction |
9.1 |
| Opportunity to
learn, grow |
9.0 |
| Variety of
duties, challenges |
8.9 |
| Geographic
location |
8.7 |
| Corporate
culture, atmosphere |
8.3 |
| Opportunity for
advancement |
8.1 |
| Work/business
hours |
8.1 |
| Employer paid
educational courses |
7.5 |
| Status,
recognition |
7.3 |
Good working relationships with managers
and coworkers, good salary/fringe benefits, and opportunities for
self-satisfaction in work tasks/responsibilities are the top three job
satisfaction factors cited in the IAAP survey.
Rating of most
significant issues
affecting the administrative profession in next five to 10 years
(On rating scale of 0-10; 10
being most significant; 0 least significant)
| Keeping up with
changing technology |
8.9 |
| Increased
workload |
7.9 |
| Doing more with
less resources/cost |
7.9 |
| Balancing work
and family |
7.8 |
| Need for more
managerial training |
7.7 |
| Corporate
downsizing |
7.1 |
| Corporate
offshoring/outsourcing |
6.2 |
|
Other responses |
|
Survey respondents rate
"keeping up with changing technology" as most significant issue
affecting the administrative profession in next five to 10
years. Through the past few decades, most administrative
professionals have mastered integrated computer software and
other advanced technological tools. However, since
technologies rapidly change and computer hardware/software is
regularly updated to newer versions, administrative
professionals must constantly adapt to keep up with the latest
technological tools.
Overall contribution within
your organization as an administrative professional increased or decreased over
the last five years
| Increased
significantly |
53% |
| Increased some |
35% |
| Stayed the same |
8% |
| Decreased |
4% |
Almost nine out of ten
administrative professionals say they are contributing more to
their organizations than they were five years ago.
Level of authority and autonomy in assigned
decision-making responsibility increased in the past five years
| Increased
some |
48% |
| Increased
significantly |
30% |
| Stayed the same |
18% |
| Decreased |
4% |
More than three quarters
(78%) of those surveyed say their level of authority and
autonomy in decision-making has grown during past five years.
Areas of job
responsibilities that have increased most over past five years
(On rating scale of 0 to 10; 10 being
area of most increased responsibilities; 0 being area of least increase in
responsibilities)
| 1.
General office management/information coordination/supervision |
6.5 |
| 2.
Travel planning |
6.0 |
| 3.
Meeting planning |
5.9 |
| 4.
Project management - more long-term projects |
5.8 |
| 5.
Main liaison to corporate manager/VIP |
5.7 |
| 6.
Online purchasing |
5.4 |
| 7.
Software training/troubleshooting |
5.2 |
| 8.
Storage and retrieval of information (both paper and
electronic formats) |
5.0 |
| 9.
Desktop publishing |
4.2 |
| 10.
Software adaptor (adapting software to particular company
needs) |
3.8 |
| 11.
Negotiator (with clients and vendors) |
3.7 |
| 12.
Team leader dealing with offsite coworkers, traveling execs |
3.6 |
| 13.
Web site design or content management |
2.3 |
|
Other responses |
|
Areas in which
administrative professionals say their responsibilities have
grown the most are general office management, information
coordination, and supervision. Other areas included travel
and meeting planning, more long-term project management and
serving as liaison to corporate managers/executives. Budget and
expense tracking were also noted as key areas increasingly
handled by administrative support staff.
Rating of importance
of following workplace challenges pertaining to day-to-day job
responsibilities/tasks
(On rating scale of 0 to 10; 10 being most
important; 0 least important)
| Juggling
multiple priorities |
8.4 |
| Dealing with
difficult people and personalities |
6.1 |
| Volume of work |
6.1 |
| Understanding
and using technology |
6.0 |
| Serving multiple
supervisors |
5.7 |
| Adapting to
organizational changes |
4.5 |
| Working for
difficult supervisor |
3.4 |
| Lack of
equipment/facilities to do job well |
3.0 |
|
Other responses |
|
Juggling multiple priorities was rated as most
important workplace challenge pertaining to an admin's
day-to-day job responsibilities -- reflecting the need for
multi-tasking abilities and effective time management skills in
today's fast-paced workplaces.
Current annual base salary income (in U.S.
dollars)
|
Less than $15,000 |
1% |
|
$15,000–$24,999 |
7% |
|
$25,000–$29,999 |
10% |
|
$30,000–$34,999 |
17% |
|
$35,000–$39,999 |
19% |
|
$40,000–$44,999 |
16% |
|
$45,000–$49,999 |
13% |
|
$50,000–$54,999 |
7% |
|
$55,000–$59,999 |
5% |
| $60,000–$64,999 |
2% |
| $65,000–$69,999 |
1% |
| $70,00+ |
2% |
The 2005 survey results show 45% of IAAP members, who are
generally more experienced, earning more than $40,000 in base
salary annually, compared to 33% in a similar 2002 survey and
just 8% in 1997.
Wages paid hourly or salary
Eligible for...
| Overtime |
59% |
| Bonus |
36% |
| Comp time |
35% |
| Flex time |
33% |
| None/NA |
15% |
Last salary
increase
| Less than one
year ago |
66% |
| One to two years
ago |
25% |
| More than two
years ago |
6% |
| Have not
received increase |
3% |
Amount of last salary
increase
| Less than 5% |
75% |
| 5 to 10% |
22% |
| More than 10% |
3% |
Rating of factors
contributing to most recent salary increase
(On scale of 1 to 10; 10 being most significant factor; 0
being least significant factor)
| Merit |
7.1 |
| Annual/automatic |
5.7 |
| Increased
responsibility |
4.8 |
| Cost of living |
4.5 |
| New technical
skills |
2.9 |
| Continuing
education |
2.2 |
| Promotion |
2.1 |
| Certification
attainment |
2.1 |
|
Other responses |
|
Training provided by
employer
Hours of training per year
provided by employer (on-site and off-site)
| 11+ |
42% |
| 5-10 |
23% |
| 1-4 |
19% |
| None/NA |
16% |
Training most needed
in following areas
(Ranked in order of overall rated importance)
| 1. Computer
software applications |
|
2.
Technology applications, such as Web conferencing |
| 3.
Supervisory/management skills |
| 4. Project
management |
| 5. Public
speaking/presentation skills |
| 6. IT
systems/hardware/system networks |
| 7. Time
management |
| 8.
Organizational skills |
| 9. Negotiating |
| 10. Meeting and
special event planning |
| 11. Writing and
grammar skills |
|
12.
Teamwork |
| 13. Another
language |
|
Other responses |
Post-secondary education
achieved
|
College/University - Some credit classes |
24% |
|
Junior/Community College - Associate degree |
16% |
|
College/University - Bachelor's degree |
15% |
|
Junior/Community College - Some credit classes |
13% |
|
Business/Technical School/College - 2-yr. program |
6% |
|
Business/Technical School/College - (9-12 month program) |
6% |
|
Business/Technical School/College - 1-year program |
3% |
|
College/University - Some post-graduate |
3% |
|
College/University - Master's degree |
2% |
|
College/University - Doctorate |
1% |
|
None |
11% |
89% of those surveyed have
at least some post-secondary education and/or achieved
post-secondary academic degrees
Employer provides sufficient
tools and resources to allow you to do your job effectively
Computer software used at
work
| Word processing |
99% |
| E-Mail |
99% |
| Spreadsheet |
95% |
|
Scheduling/Calendaring |
88% |
| Presentation |
62% |
| Database
management |
59% |
| Desktop
publishing |
39% |
| Accounting |
29% |
| Project
management |
17% |
| Web design |
14% |
| Authoring |
8% |
| Voice
recognition |
5% |
Troubleshoot and/or train
coworkers in computer applications
| Yes |
57% |
| No |
35% |
| Not applicable |
8% |
More than half (57%) of
those surveyed troubleshoot or train coworkers in computer
applications.
Technological tools provided
by employer for access/use
| Networked PC |
95% |
| Color printer |
85% |
| Scanner |
69% |
| Access to work
e-mail from home |
61% |
| CD burner |
60% |
| Teleconferencing
system |
48% |
| Digital copier |
47% |
| Digital camera |
42% |
| Laptop computer |
35% |
|
Videoconferencing system |
34% |
| Wireless
Internet access |
28% |
|
Employer-provided cell phone |
15% |
| PDA/Hand-held
computer |
12% |
| Voice
recognition software |
5% |
Technology tools or upgrades
not currently provided by employer that would most useful to increase
productivity/efficiency
| Faster/more
power computer |
36% |
| Additional
software/upgraded software |
30% |
| Laptop computer |
21% |
| PDA/Hand-held
computer |
20% |
| Larger computer
monitor |
20% |
| Scanner |
16% |
| Cell phone |
15% |
| Wireless
Internet access |
13% |
| Color printer |
12% |
| CD burner |
12% |
| Digital copier |
9% |
| Digital camera |
7% |
| Corporate
Intranet |
3% |
|
Other responses |
|
Number of executives
supported
| 0 |
5% |
| 1-2 |
54% |
| 3-4 |
26% |
| 5-10 |
11% |
| 11 or more |
4% |
54% of the IAAP members surveyed
say they directly support only one to two managers. In a similar 2002
survey, 57% said they supported one to two managers.
Staffing ratios of management/executive staff in
relation to administrative support staff depends on several factors, such as
work volume and the nature of the tasks and responsibilities delegated to the
administrative support level, how work flows in the organization, and many other
varying factors.
Rating of how well
immediate manager/supervisor utilizes current job skills and abilities
| Overall rating: 7.2 (On
rating scale of 0 to 10 – 10 being most full utilization of job
skills/abilities; 0 being least utilization of job skills/abilities |
Administrative professionals rate their
managers relatively well, giving them an average score of 7.2 out of 10 on how
well they utilize the admin's job skills and abilities.
Level of satisfaction with
amount and effectiveness of communication between immediate supervisor/manager
and yourself
| Very satisfied |
57% |
| Somewhat
satisfied |
32% |
| Not satisfied –
supervisor is very poor communicator |
11% |
Rating of qualities that are
most important in a manager/supervisor/boss
(On rating scale of 0 to 10 – 10 being
most important quality; 0 being least important quality)
| Effective
communicator |
9.6 |
| Is approachable |
9.5 |
| Stands up for
employees |
9.3 |
| Knows his/her
job and has an effective vision for success |
9.3 |
| Gives feedback
and praise when warranted |
9.1 |
| Well-organized;
gives clear direction |
9.0 |
| Delegates
meaningful tasks |
8.8 |
| Understands work
processes |
8.7 |
|
Other responses |
|
Effective communication
and being approachable rate as most important qualities in a
manager/supervisor.
Receive and organize e-mail
addressed to supervisor
| Seldom/Never |
47% |
| Sometimes |
37% |
| Always |
16% |
Estimated average annual
level of turnover among administrative employees in your organization
| 0-5% |
54% |
| 6-10% |
17% |
| 11-15% |
8% |
| 20-25% |
5% |
| 30% or higher |
3% |
| Unsure |
13% |
Level of satisfaction with
the following workspace environmental factors
(On rating scale of 0 to 10; 10 being
highest level of satisfaction; 0 being lowest level of satisfaction)
| Lighting |
7.3 |
| Comfort level,
in general |
7.2 |
| Seating |
7.1 |
| Task space |
6.9 |
| Common spaces |
6.7 |
| Noise Level |
6.0 |
| Privacy |
5.5 |
| Storage space
|
5.4 |
Telecommute?
| No |
79% |
| Yes, but only
occasionally (avg. less than 20 hours per week) |
12% |
| Yes, frequently
work from home (avg. 20 or more hours per week) |
7% |
| Not applicable
|
2% |
Rating of employer
organization in terms of adapting to change and level of innovation
| Somewhat
innovative |
48% |
| Highly
innovative - quickly adapts to changing industry trends |
43% |
| Low innovation
- mostly satisfied with status quo |
9% |
91% of those surveyed
rated their employers as either highly or somewhat innovative in
terms of adapting to change.
Industry Type
|
Healthcare |
14% |
|
Education/training |
12% |
|
Manufacturing |
10% |
|
Non-profit |
5% |
|
Finance/banking |
5% |
|
Local city/municipal government |
5% |
|
Utilities |
4% |
|
Federal government |
4% |
|
Technology |
4% |
|
Engineering/architecture |
3% |
|
Insurance |
3% |
|
State/provincial government |
3% |
|
Service |
3% |
|
Legal |
2% |
|
Sales/marketing |
2% |
|
Accounting |
2% |
|
Telecommunications |
2% |
| Real
estate |
1% |
|
Pharmaceutical |
1% |
|
Retail |
1% |
|
Personnel/human resources |
1% |
|
Media |
1% |
|
Advertising/public relations |
1% |
|
Other responses |
11% |
IAAP members are employed in many
different types of businesses/industries and government. In the 2005 survey, 36%
were employed in either healthcare, education, or manufacturing businesses.
Number of total employees in
parent company
| 25 or less |
8% |
| 26-100 |
8% |
| 101-500 |
17% |
| 501-999 |
9% |
| 1,000-4,999 |
22% |
| 5,000-9,999 |
12% |
| 10,000 or more |
24% |
58% of IAAP members surveyed work for
companies with 1,000 or more total employees.
# # #
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