secretary of state
Key facts
Are you a highly organized and detail-oriented individual with a passion for supporting leadership and contributing to effective governance? As a secretary of state, you’ll play a vital role in assisting government departments and ensuring smooth operations.
Secretaries of state are essential support professionals within government departments. Your daily work involves assisting heads of departments, like ministers, with a wide range of administrative and strategic tasks. You’ll be involved in everything from managing correspondence and scheduling meetings to contributing to policy development and overseeing departmental staff. This role requires excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
- • Assist heads of government departments with their daily administrative duties.
- • Contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies and procedures.
- • Supervise and coordinate the work of departmental staff.
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 Chief executives, senior officials and legislators — 23 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, Slovakia.
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 secretary of state fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Attention to Detail?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Dependability?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Integrity?
Future Outlook for secretary of state
The outlook for secretary of state 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 secretary of state change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could secretary of state change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
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
- liaise with local authorities
- perform political negotiation
- advise legislators
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- analyse legislation
- conduct financial audits
- present legislation proposition
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
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
Public Service & Safety
A typical day as a secretary of state
09 09:00 · Morning prepare legislation proposition
10 10:30 · Mid-morning analyse legislation
12 12:00 · Midday present legislation proposition
14 14:00 · Afternoon advise legislators
15 15:30 · Late afternoon advise on legislative acts
17 17:00 · Wrap-up conduct financial audits
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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budgetary principles
Principles of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports.
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good governance
The political and governmental processes and results that needs to be taken for the development of the society. It manifests itself when there is a correspondence between the political promises on human rights and the actual outcomes. It is transparent, responsive, equitable and inclusive.
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public administration
The field where policy acts to pursue the improvement of public goods and produce beneficial changes in societies. Includes the set of public entities and bodies that serve the public interest, within the framework of local, regional, or state government.
- audit techniques
- legislation procedure
- constitutional law
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advise legislators
Give advice on various government and legislative duties, such as policy creation and the inner workings of a governmental department, to government officials in legislative positions, such as members of parliament, government ministers, senators, and other legislators.
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advise on legislative acts
Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.
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liaise with local authorities
Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
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present legislation proposition
Present the proposition for new items of legislation or changes to existing legislation in a manner which is clear, persuasive, and compliant with regulations.
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analyse legislation
Analyse the existing legislation from a national or local government in order to assess which improvements could be made and which items of legislation could be proposed.
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conduct financial audits
Evaluate and monitor the financial health, the operations and financial movements expressed in the financial statements of the company. Revise the financial records to ensure stewardship and governability.
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implement strategic management
Implement a strategy for the development and transformation of the company. Strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major objectives and initiatives of a company by senior management on behalf of the owners, based on consideration of available resources and an assessment of the internal and external environments in which the organisation operates.
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prepare legislation proposition
Prepare the necessary documentation in order to propose a new item of legislation or a change to existing legislation, according to regulations.
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perform political negotiation
Perform debate and argumentative dialogue in a political context, using negotiation techniques specific to political contexts in order to obtain the desired goal, ensure compromise, and maintain cooperative relations.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does secretary of state fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are most important for a secretary of state?
- Strong organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communication, attention to detail, the ability to prioritize tasks effectively, and a proactive approach to problem-solving are crucial. Familiarity with government processes and procedures is also highly beneficial.
- What kind of education or experience is typically required to become a secretary of state?
- While specific requirements vary, a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (such as public administration, political science, or business administration) is often preferred. Significant experience in administrative roles, ideally within a government setting, is also typically expected.
- What are the typical career progression opportunities for a secretary of state?
- With experience and demonstrated leadership abilities, secretaries of state may progress to more senior management roles within the government department, potentially overseeing entire divisions or contributing to strategic decision-making at a higher level.
- Secretary Of State — is there a shortage in Europe?
- Yes. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a shortage was reported in 4 of the 5 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, Slovakia. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Secretary Of State — what does it pay in the United States?
- $206,420 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $97,510 to $341,630. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.