Sector Analysis: Admin and Secretarial

18 Jan 08 - With over 22,500 Admin and Secretarial vacancies on reed.co.uk (as at 18th January 2008) there has been a steady level of demand over the past year for administrative and secretarial staff.  Salaries have remained at a relatively fixed rate in the sector across the UK, however there are still the same skill shortages as at the beginning of 2007.

Mark Hellery, Regional Sales Manager – London, Reed PA & Secretarial tells us ‘’Over the past year we have seen a constant demand for Secretaries, PAs and admin support staff, with a steady rise in specialist fields, there is always great demand for Legal and Medical Secretaries across the country. Employers are tending to look for administrative and support staff who have a background in their particular industry, for example whether it’s insurance or banking, these applicants can be in high demand as they can slot straight into the role and hit the ground running, as well as being aware of all the industry terminology and practices.’’

During the first 17 days of January in 2007 37,347 jobseekers registered on reed.co.uk in the Admin and Secretarial sector, in comparison with 48,827 for the same time period in 2008. An increase of 11,480 on last year suggests that this sector is an ever popular job choice. (figures from reed.co.uk)

Mark Hellery comments ‘’There seems to be some degree of enlargement within administration and support roles, perhaps where companies have tightened their belts and require employees to take on additional tasks or where they are simply offering development opportunities to improve levels of staff retention. This can be seen through recent additions to the Reed Learning training course portfolio which offers a range of courses now specifically tailored to suit the needs of support staff, such as HR, Marketing Or Finance for the PA and Administration Personnel.’’

Job count figures show us that towards the end of last year, demand significantly dropped in locations around London. ‘’Employees are trying to avoid the commute, increasing transport costs and the stress of the daily commute mean that support staff are opting to work closer to home, or are staying in their roles for longer. Employers increasingly valuing and developing their staff could prevent these staff seeking high inner-city salaries.’’ Explains Mark Hellery, Reed PA & Secretarial.Mark Hellery tells us ‘’There are still variations in salary depending on experience, for example an Executive PA with a fantastic track record can afford to shop around and aim for a high salary as there is always a need for good calibre, highly skilled individuals. We still see a North-South divide when it comes to salaries, on average in London admin and secretarial roles are offered at £24,581, at £8,590 higher than the Nottingham average of £15,991 (figures from reed.co.uk).’’

Other average salary figures include:
Newcastle £16,242
Liverpool  £17,265
Nottingham £15,991
Birmingham  £17,745
Oxford  £19,467
London  £24,581
Southampton £18,194
 

Mark Hellery says ‘’Another important factor to note is that we are seeing a growth in the outsourcing industry, with companies specialising in the supply of ‘virtual’ secretaries and administrative staff where roles can be performed from outside of the office, companies are taking the opportunity to make use of these hubs of specialist admin staff.’’

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