Office and administrative support
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.
Median pay
$76,590
Growth to 2035
0%
little or no change
Openings a year
43,300
Time to qualify*
2 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- Less than 5 years
Calculate your switch to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants: 27% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
- Make travel arrangements for executives.
- Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
- Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
- Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
- Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
- Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
- Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
Also called: Administrative Aide · Administrative Assistant · Administrative Associate · Administrative Coordinator · Administrative Secretary · Administrative Specialist · Executive Administrative Assistant · Executive Assistant
Outlook and AI
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants held 489,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 489,200 by 2035 (0%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as firms increase the use of computer software, enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, to automate routine back-office functions, such as document preparation.
Compare with
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants vs. Administrative assistant
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- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants vs. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants vs. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants vs. Correspondence clerk
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- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants vs. Receptionists and information clerks
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants vs. Paralegal