Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

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.

Secretaries and administrative assistants held about 3.5 million jobs in 2024. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up secretaries and administrative assistants was distributed as follows:

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

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.

High school graduates who are comfortable using word processing and spreadsheet programs usually 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 for industry-specific terminology. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically need several years of related work experience.

The median annual wage for secretaries and administrative assistants was $47,460 in May 2024.

Overall employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to decline 0 percent from 2024 to 2034.

Despite declining employment, about 358,300 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.