Administrative Support Technology
Certificate
Administrative support specialist held about 4.1 million jobs in 2004, ranking among the largest occupations in the U.S. economy!
What do Administrative Support Specialists do?
As the reliance on technology continues to expand in offices, the role of the administrative support specialist has greatly evolved. Office automation and organizational restructuring have led these professionals to assume responsibilities once reserved for managerial and professional staff. Many administrative support specialists now provide training and orientation for new staff, conduct research on the Internet, and operate and troubleshoot new office technologies. In spite of these changes, however, the core responsibilities for administrative support specialists have remained much the same: Performing and coordinating an office’s administrative activities and storing, retrieving, and integrating information for dissemination to staff and clients. >>>more
How much money do administrative support specialists make?
Median annual earnings of executive secretaries and administrative assistants were $34,970 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,500 and $43,430. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,810, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $53,460. >>>more
What is the job outlook for administrative support specialists?
Although overall employment of administrative support specialists is expected to grow more slowly than average for all occupations over t he 2004-14 period, numerous job openings will result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave this very large occupation for other reasons each year. According to the US Department of Labor Statistics, opportunities should be best for experienced applicants with extensive know-ledge of software applications. >>>more
How much money do administrative support specialists make?
Median annual earnings of executive secretaries and administrative assistants were $34,970 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,500 and $43,430. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,810, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $53,460. >>>more
What do Administrative Support Specialists do?
Administrative Support Specia-lists are responsible for a variety of administrative and clerical duties necessary to run an organization efficiently. They serve as information and communication managers for an office; plan and schedule meetings and appointments; organize and maintain paper and electronic files; manage projects; conduct research; and disseminate information by using the telephone, mail services, Web sites, and e-mail. They also may handle travel and guest arrangements.
Administrative Support Specialists are aided in these tasks by a variety of office equipment, such as fax machines, photocopiers, scanners, and video-conferencing and telephone systems. In addition, these professionals often use computers to do tasks previously handled by managers and professionals: create spreadsheets; compose correspondence; manage data-bases; and create presentations, reports, and documents using desktop publishing software and digital graphics. They also may negotiate with vendors, maintain and examine leased equipment, purchase supplies, manage areas such as stockrooms or corporate libraries, and retrieve data from various sources.
What is the job outlook for administrative support specialists?
Projected employment of administrative support specialists varies by occupational specialty. Employment growth in the health care and social assistance and legal services industries should lead to average growth for medical and legal administrative support specialists. Employment of executive administrative support specialists is projected to grow average for all occupations. Growing industries—such as administrative and support services; health care and social assistance; educational services (private); and professional, scientific, and technical services—will continue to generate most new job opportunities. A decline in employment is expected for administrative support specialists, except legal, medical, or executive; they account for about 47 percent of all administrative support specialists.
Increasing office automation and organizational restructuring will continue to make administrative support specialists more productive in coming years. Computers, e-mail, scanners, and voice message systems will allow administrative support specialists to accomplish more in the same amount of time. The use of automated equipment also is changing the distribution of work in many offices. In some cases, such traditional secretarial duties as keyboarding, filing, photocopying, and book-keeping are being assigned to workers in other un its or departments. Professionals and managers increasingly do their own word processing and data entry and handle much of their own correspondence rather than submit the work to administrative support specialists and other support staff. Also, in some law and medical offices, paralegals and medical assistants are assuming some tasks formerly done by administrative support specialists. As other workers assume more of these duties, there is a trend in many offices for professionals and managers to replace the traditional arrangement of one secretary per manager with administrative support specialists who support the work of systems, departments, or units. This approach often means that administrative support specialists assume added responsibilities and are seen as valuable members of a team, but it also contributes to the projected decline in the overall number of secretarial and administrative assistant positions.
Developments in office technology are certain to continue, and they will bring about further changes in the work of administrative support specialists. However, many secretarial and administrative duties are of a personal, interactive nature and, therefore, not easily automated. Responsibilities such as planning conferences, working with clients, and instructing staff require tact and communication skills. Because technology cannot substitute for these personal skills, administrative support specialists will continue to play a key role in most organizations. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos151.htm#nature
How much money do administrative support specialists make?
Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of executive secretaries and administrative assistants in May 2004 were:
Management of companies and enterprises
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$38,950 |
Local government |
36,940 |
Colleges, universities, and professional schools |
34,280 |
Employment services |
31,620 |
State government |
30,750 |
Median annual earnings of legal secretaries were $36,720 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,070 and $46,390. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,270, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $56,590. Medical secretaries earned a median annual salary of $26,540 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $21,980 and $32,690. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $19,140, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $39,140. Median annual earnings of secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive, were $26,110 in May 2004.
Salaries vary a great deal, however, reflecting differences in skill, experience, and level of responsibility. Certification in this field usually is rewarded by a higher salary.
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