administrative assistant
Role lens
Are you organized, detail-oriented, and enjoy supporting a team? As an administrative assistant, you'll be the backbone of an office, ensuring smooth operations and providing essential support to supervisors and colleagues.
Administrative assistants play a vital role in maintaining efficient and productive workplaces. Your days will be varied, involving a mix of communication, organization, and problem-solving. You’ll be the first point of contact for many, managing schedules, handling correspondence, and ensuring the office environment is functional and welcoming. This role is ideal for individuals who thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy contributing to a team’s success.
- • Answering and directing phone calls and emails professionally.
- • Greeting visitors and ensuring they are directed appropriately.
- • Ordering and managing office supplies and equipment.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Business and administration associate professionals — 200 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Netherlands, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Netherlands, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could administrative assistant fit you?
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Do you enjoy tasks that require Dependability?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Relationships?
Future Outlook for administrative assistant
The outlook for administrative assistant reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could administrative assistant change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could administrative assistant change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- disseminate internal communications
- organise business documents
- use office systems
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- use microsoft office
- perform business research
- disseminate general corporate information
Tasks most exposed to automation
- fill out forms
- maintain statutory books
- keep task records
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Management & Entrepreneurship
A typical day as a administrative assistant
09 09:00 · Morning handle mail
10 10:30 · Mid-morning perform business research
12 12:00 · Midday disseminate general corporate information
14 14:00 · Afternoon disseminate internal communications
15 15:30 · Late afternoon disseminate messages to people
17 17:00 · Wrap-up file documents
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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company policies
The set of rules that govern the activity of a company.
- accounting techniques
- business communication
- transcription methods
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organise business documents
Put together documents coming from the photocopier, the mail, or the daily operations of businesses.
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use office systems
Make appropriate and timely use of office systems used in business facilities depending on the aim, whether for the collection of messages, client information storage, or agenda scheduling. It includes administration of systems such as customer relationship management, vendor management, storage, and voicemail systems.
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handle mail
Handle mail considering data protection issues, health and safety requirements, and specifications of different kinds of mail.
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perform office routine activities
Program, prepare, and perform activities required to be performed everyday in offices such as mailing, receiving supplies, updating managers and employees, and keeping operations running smoothly.
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disseminate messages to people
Receive, process, and pass messages to people coming from phone calls, faxes, postal, and emails.
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organise facilities for office personnel
Manage the booking schedule for conferences and meetings of internal or external nature. Shop around and book reservations for travelling or hosting for office personnel.
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use spreadsheets software
Use software tools to create and edit tabular data to carry out mathematical calculations, organise data and information, create diagrams based on data and to retrieve them.
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manage digital documents
Manage various data formats and files by naming, publishing, transforming and sharing files and documents and transforming file formats.
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maintain statutory books
Maintain updated the statutory books of the company with the relevant information of the directors and secretaries, the directors interests, and the register of shareholders.
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perform business research
Search and collect information relevant for the development of businesses in different fields ranging from legal, accounting, finance, up to commercial matters.
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disseminate internal communications
Disseminate internal communications using the different communication channels that a company has at its disposal.
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file documents
Create a filing system. Write a document catalogue. Label documents etc.
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keep task records
Organise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.
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disseminate general corporate information
Answer questions, resolve doubts, and solve inquiries in regard to general institutional and corporate information such as program rules, regulations and procedures. Assist with information to both, employees and public at large.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does administrative assistant fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are most important for an administrative assistant?
- Strong organizational skills, excellent communication (both written and verbal), attention to detail, proficiency in basic computer applications (like word processing and spreadsheets), and the ability to multitask effectively are all crucial. Adaptability and a proactive approach to problem-solving are also highly valued.
- Is this a good career choice for someone looking to change careers?
- Absolutely! The skills you develop as an administrative assistant are transferable to many other roles. It’s a great entry point into various industries and can provide a solid foundation for career growth. Many people find it a rewarding path offering stability and diverse responsibilities.
- What is the typical work arrangement for an administrative assistant?
- This role is primarily an employment-based position. You’ll typically work as an employee within an organization, contributing to a team and supporting the company’s operations. Opportunities for independent work are less common.
- Administrative Assistant — is there a shortage in Europe?
- No. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a surplus was reported in 12 of the 15 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany and 8 more. 3 countries reported a shortage. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Administrative Assistant — what does it pay in the United States?
- $46,290 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $25,730 to $59,910. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.