Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
Also called: Administrative Assistant, Administrative Secretary, Executive Assistant, Executive SecretaryProvide 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 19 of its 22 tasks, and jobs are projected to hold steady to 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 24% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $69,450 | $56,760 to $83,140 | 2,880 |
| Alaska | $66,210 | $56,490 to $79,500 | 1,320 |
| Arizona | $70,770 | $57,910 to $84,040 | 6,490 |
| Arkansas | $51,600 | $43,940 to $66,480 | 2,070 |
| California | $89,000 | $72,110 to $107,090 | 59,640 |
| Colorado | $65,850 | $57,920 to $82,620 | 10,340 |
| Connecticut | $82,520 | $69,570 to $101,060 | 6,490 |
| Delaware | $78,920 | $64,160 to $92,550 | 1,320 |
| District of Columbia | $90,850 | $77,990 to $102,310 | 4,560 |
| Florida | $64,710 | $51,590 to $81,190 | 19,220 |
| Georgia | $68,290 | $58,930 to $81,080 | 14,560 |
| Guam | $43,930 | $39,520 to $55,910 | 80 |
| Hawaii | $80,710 | $66,150 to $97,890 | 1,440 |
| Idaho | $60,200 | $51,030 to $79,430 | 1,180 |
| Illinois | $74,390 | $57,590 to $93,180 | 14,900 |
| Indiana | $59,080 | $49,740 to $73,450 | 5,060 |
| Iowa | $62,340 | $51,450 to $71,390 | 4,150 |
| Kansas | $64,860 | $57,090 to $78,220 | 2,750 |
| Kentucky | $62,410 | $52,050 to $75,650 | 2,700 |
| Louisiana | $53,240 | $43,710 to $63,500 | 9,270 |
| Maine | $64,100 | $54,570 to $75,650 | 2,320 |
| Maryland | $78,540 | $64,470 to $94,000 | 13,960 |
| Massachusetts | $82,650 | $69,560 to $100,170 | 14,820 |
| Michigan | $66,840 | $57,570 to $81,050 | 9,030 |
| Minnesota | $78,470 | $64,810 to $91,540 | 7,970 |
| Mississippi | $55,670 | $44,870 to $70,880 | 1,240 |
| Missouri | $60,320 | $50,650 to $76,820 | 8,500 |
| Montana | $59,750 | $51,140 to $67,720 | 550 |
| Nebraska | $66,210 | $56,100 to $79,380 | 1,860 |
| Nevada | $67,830 | $55,720 to $83,890 | 2,670 |
| New Hampshire | $71,650 | $57,090 to $86,810 | 1,210 |
| New Jersey | $89,520 | $74,840 to $103,290 | 11,690 |
| New Mexico | $73,890 | $64,870 to $82,840 | 2,800 |
| New York | $80,640 | $68,470 to $100,400 | 88,890 |
| North Carolina | $70,140 | $58,480 to $83,260 | 8,890 |
| North Dakota | $61,270 | $52,570 to $75,140 | 540 |
| Ohio | $69,600 | $57,640 to $82,460 | 10,940 |
| Oklahoma | $59,910 | $49,830 to $74,320 | 2,810 |
| Oregon | $75,480 | $63,940 to $86,870 | 6,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,270 | $59,890 to $85,970 | 12,910 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,120 | $30,700 to $47,340 | 7,100 |
| Rhode Island | $77,820 | $64,460 to $90,620 | 950 |
| South Carolina | $60,890 | $50,290 to $77,160 | 3,880 |
| South Dakota | $55,170 | $48,980 to $62,390 | 1,230 |
| Tennessee | $68,190 | $56,370 to $79,840 | 5,360 |
| Texas | $71,990 | $58,790 to $87,040 | 34,520 |
| Utah | $61,130 | $47,620 to $76,630 | 5,440 |
| Vermont | $70,770 | $63,880 to $80,450 | 770 |
| Virgin Islands | $56,720 | $40,260 to $64,600 | 170 |
| Virginia | $80,330 | $63,480 to $98,770 | 10,360 |
| Washington | $79,250 | $72,670 to $90,570 | 11,560 |
| West Virginia | $63,820 | $52,110 to $77,990 | 860 |
| Wisconsin | $68,920 | $59,270 to $78,400 | 4,480 |
| Wyoming | $52,210 | $48,380 to $59,800 | 560 |
Nationally: $76,590. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 19 of its 22 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software. | 0.15% |
| AI alone | Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform general office duties, such as ordering supplies, maintaining records management database systems, and performing basic bookkeeping work. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries. | 0.05% |
| Not much | Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Prepare agendas and make arrangements, such as coordinating catering for luncheons, for committee, board, and other meetings. | Not published |
See all 22 tasks
| AI alone | File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Manage and maintain executives' schedules. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals. | Not published |
| AI alone | Make travel arrangements for executives. | Not published |
| AI alone | Read and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports to determine their significance and plan their distribution. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide clerical support to other departments. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees, and boards of directors. | 0.05% |
| AI + software | Attend meetings to record minutes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Review operating practices and procedures to determine whether improvements can be made in areas such as workflow, reporting procedures, or expenditures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Meet with individuals, special interest groups, and others on behalf of executives, committees, and boards of directors. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise and train other clerical staff and arrange for employee training by scheduling training or organizing training material. | Not published |
| AI alone | Interpret administrative and operating policies and procedures for employees. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Process payroll information. | Not published |
| AI alone | Set up and oversee administrative policies and procedures for offices or organizations. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 10 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 21 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- and 5 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes |
Show all 21 activities
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Sort materials or products | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Maintain health or medical records |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report50%
- An email or message17%
- A presentation or slides10%
- An analysis or summary4%
- Data or a spreadsheet3%
How they worked with Claude
62% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 372,630 moves out
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 11%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
- 4 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 348,714 moves in
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 15%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 24% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 21% some college
- 34% associate's
- 12% bachelor's
- 2% master's
- 3% post-master's certificate
- 3% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 49 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 12% high school
- 25% some college
- 12% associate's
- 37% bachelor's
- 11% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 2,873 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General and Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
9.1% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 0.7% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/43-6011.00